"If the Risk is Low, Let them Go!": Parole and Aging People in Prison

From 1995 to 2010 the number of state and federal prisoners aged 55 and over nearly quadrupled to 124,000, while the prison population as a whole grew by 42%. In New York State (NYS), the incarcerated population fell by 21% over the past decade—from 71,466 in 2000 to 56,315 in 2011. In that same period, the population of people aged 50 and older has increased by 64%. The proportion of elders will continue to balloon as younger incarcerated people with long sentences (including those serving life without parole) age.

Prison officials, state governments and public health advocates across the country have begun to address the crisis of the growth in the aging prison population. This paper presents findings from the New York-based Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) campaign, which was established to advocate for the release of elderly and aging people in prison. RAPP’s public education efforts detail the health, social, and economic costs of continuing to imprison aging people. While the chance of recidivism (returning to prison after release) decreases dramatically with age, over the past two years, the parole board in New York has denied 75% of all requests for release, no matter what age the petitioner. Moreover, the state routinely fails to issue compassionate releases to incarcerated people who are seriously ill. More than half of the NYS prison population was convicted of violent felonies. Reflecting on the RAPP campaign provides advocates with an example of how advocacy for this group is unique from campaigns focusing on non-violent offenders.