With over 2.3 million men and women living behind bars, our imprisonment rate is the highest it’s ever been in U.S. history. And yet, our criminal justice system has failed on every count: public safety, fairness and cost-effectiveness.
The fruits of harsh sentencing laws are literally coming of age. The elderly inmate population has exploded over the past three decades. Nearly 125,000 inmates are over the age of 55 and it will only continue to grow unless dramatic changes are made to sentencing and parole policies.
Some facts:
Fact - Elderly prisoners are the least dangerous group of people behind bars but the most expensive to incarcerate – costing about twice as much as the average prisoner – and the number of elderly prisoners is skyrocketing.
Fact - Maine is well known as the “oldest” state in the nation – boasting the highest median age, and the second highest percentage of residents over age 65 (second only to Florida).
Fact – When the government puts people behind bars, it assumes responsibility for their health and welfare.
The result? Maine taxpayers are taking the hit and prison administrators are scrambling to figure out how best to ethically, fiscally, and legally meet the complex health needs of elderly inmates, particularly those facing chronic or terminal illness or end of life care.
On September 19th, the ACLU of Maine is co-sponsoring a conference at Maine State Prison on end-of-life issues for elderly prisoners. The Maine Hospice Council and Center for End-of-Life Care is putting on the event, which will feature discussions from a wide range of expert presenters.
