THE CRISIS AT HAND
This demographic group is the fastest-growing in the U.S. prison system.
Who are people aged 55 and older?
This 1994 federal crime bill included provisions for "three strikes" and "truth-in-sentencing," which contributed to longer prison terms.
What is the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act?
This is the approximate annual cost to incarcerate a person aged 55 or older, which is three to four times the cost of a younger person.
What is $68,000 to $70,000?
This solution involves granting early release to older prisoners who are non-violent and have a low risk of re-offending.
What is compassionate release?
This is the term for a medical condition that affects older prisoners but is not directly related to a crime they committed.
What is a chronic illness?
The number of federal and state prisoners aged 55 and older increased by this approximate percentage between 2007 and 2017.
What is 280%?
The repeal of this federal law in the late 1980s led to an increase in sentence length by removing the possibility of early release for good behavior.
What is parole?
A major portion of the increased cost for older prisoners is due to the provision of this type of care.
What is healthcare?
This alternative to incarceration involves providing care for older, non-violent offenders in a community-based setting or assisted living facility.
What is a geriatric or medical parole program?
The name for the federal agency responsible for the health and safety of people in federal prisons.
What is the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)?
The median age of a person in a U.S. state prison is this.
What is 37 years old?
This legal doctrine allows for a person to be held in prison for their full sentence, regardless of age or health, with very limited exceptions.
What is "truth-in-sentencing"?
In addition to medical expenses, this is a major physical and infrastructure cost associated with an aging prison population.
What is adapting prisons to be accessible (e.g., ramps, grab bars, accessible showers)?
his program allows incarcerated people to earn time off their sentence for participating in educational, vocational, or other rehabilitative programs.
What is good time credit?
The name for a legal team or advocacy group that works to get older prisoners released on compassionate grounds.
What is an Innocence Project or legal aid society?
This specific health crisis among older prisoners often stems from their youthful behavior, such as smoking, drug use, and poor diet.
What is accelerated aging?
An increase in this type of non-violent offense, often tied to the "war on drugs," has contributed to the number of people aging behind bars.
What are drug offenses?
This is the social and economic term for the loss of family ties and community support that occurs when an older person is released from prison.
What is "re-entry friction"?
This type of justice reform would give judges more discretion in sentencing, allowing them to consider factors such as an individual's age and health.
What is sentencing reform?
The medical term for a person's biological age being older than their chronological age, a common phenomenon in prison populations.
What is accelerated biological aging?
The percentage of the total U.S. prison population aged 55 and older is projected to rise to this amount by 2030.
What is one-third (1/3)?
This is the term for a sentence that requires a person to serve a fixed amount of time, with little to no discretion from a judge.
What is a mandatory minimum sentence?
The term for the financial burden placed on families and communities when they must support an older incarcerated relative, often by paying for phone calls and commissary items.
What is "carceral debt"?
This is a policy change that would retroactively apply new, less punitive sentencing laws to people who were sentenced under older, harsher laws.
What is "second-look" sentencing?
This term refers to the process by which a person is transitioned from prison back into their community, often with support services for housing and employment.
What is re-entry?