Even if an inmate's sentence is not oppressively long, their treatment while incarcerated can still constitute subhuman treatment. Prisons are not medical facilities, but they regularly are forced to deal with mental health problems and care for elderly and terminally ill inmates. Food, if it's even edible, usually lacks enough nutrition for inmates' health to not deteriorate. Plus, with a lack of opportunities to see family, read, or gain skill sets, inmates are placed in buildings which lack any resemblance of the civilized world.
“Consider how likely you were to make reckless decisions in your 20’s, and compare that to your 50s: The difference, science tells us, is about impulse control and brain development. A study last year from the Justice Policy Institute found that only 3 percent of elderly prisoners are arrested again after their release. Most people age out of crime. Yet we pay as much as $60,000 annually – twice the cost of the average prisoner – to keep older felons behind bars.“
NJ.com
July 28, 2019
Read More“Federal prosecutors are investigating the Massachusetts state prison system over the treatment of elderly and severely ill prisoners, following a five-month investigation by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) published in the Boston Globe and WGBH News.“
New England Center for Investigative Reporting
May 29, 2019
Read More“Between January 2011 and May 2018, 675 elder New Yorkers and more than 1,000 people of all ages have died in a New York state prison. Over the last 20 years, the number of incarcerated older New Yorkers has more than doubled, from 4,706 to greater than 10,000. Yet the state's overall prison population has fallen by 30 percent.“
Albany Times Union
March 30, 2019
Read More“Evans' plight underscores the serious bind for prisoners facing life-threatening illnesses — and the real-world effects of the First Step Act, a law President Trump signed last December to lighten sentences for some drug offenders. Another part of the law gives sick or elderly inmates the chance to petition a judge for early release if the Bureau of Prisons fails to act on their petitions after 30 days.“
NPR
March 15, 2019
Read More“According to a study released in 2017 by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly half the people held in jails suffer from some kind of mental illness, and more than a quarter have a severe condition, such as bipolar disorder. The same year, the bureau reported that about two-thirds of sentenced jail inmates suffer from drug addiction or dependency; that number was based on data from 2007-09, so it does not take into account the recent catastrophic rise of opioid addiction. That epidemic and other public-health emergencies, in jails across the country, are being aggravated by failings in the criminal-justice system.“
The New Yorker
February 25, 2019
Read More"The Senior Rehabilitation Pod Program is believed to be the first in the nation to segregate seniors from younger inmates, Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. said during a recent interview. The program began in mid-July and will start offering a full array of health, counseling and employment services by early September."
Newsday
August 23, 2018
Read More"State prisons across the U.S. are failing to treat at least 144,000 inmates who have hepatitis C, a curable but potentially fatal liver disease, according to a recent survey and subsequent interviews of state corrections departments. Many of the 49 states that responded to questions about inmates with hepatitis C cited high drug prices as the reason for denying treatment. The drugs can cost up to $90,000 for a course of treatment."
Kaiser Health News
July 9, 2018
Read More"'This is the population that is the most expensive to incarcerate and the least likely to re-offend,' report author Mary Price told New Jersey 101.5. 'It makes no sense to keep them locked up'."
New Jersey 101.5
July 8, 2018
Read More"Improvements in medical care, longer jail terms because of stricter sentencing guidelines and an increase in the number of older adults being sent to prison have had a significant effect on the U.S. prison population: The average age of inmates is rising."
Washington Post
June 27, 2018
Read More"Despite the incredible success rates among older people safely released from prison, we continue to annually spend approximately $16 billion to incarcerate this population. The financial impact will increase substantially with population projections for elderly incarcerated people to hit 400,000 by 2030. We have barely touched the surface of the potential savings that could be reinvested by safely returning older incarcerated individuals to the community."
The Crime Report
June 26, 2018
Read More"In many situations, closest relatives are informed of loved ones’ deaths through voicemails, text messages and letters, according to advocates and families of incarcerated people. It can take days or weeks for them to find out. Families say the way they were notified ends up being the searing, specific detail that pains them long after their loved one is buried."
The Marshall Project
June 21, 2018
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