6d ago

America’s aging prison population is posing challenges for states: People 55 and over made up nearly 1 in 6 prisoners as of 2022, new report says

America’s aging prison population is posing challenges for states • Stateline

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20251003114332/https://stateline.org/2025/09/29/americas-aging-prison-population-is-posing-challenges-for-states/

21 comments

Yeah, they did get higher lead exposure than later generations.
Incoming increase of homeless population as prisons dump their unprofitable populations on the streets.
- But... They're criminalizing homelessness...
We need a comprehensive review of our criminal sentencing. Fewer crimes should result in jail terms, jail terms should be shorter, mandatory minimums need to be eliminated. Remove prosecutors and DAs from being an elected position and make "tough on crime" be something people should be ashamed to say.
And I know that mandatory minimums have a history in working to address racial disparity in sentencing. However, I think we need to develop different solutions rather than increase the sentencing for everyone.
- 1% of the population do a majority of the crimes. Let's not pretend letting prisoners out is good for society.
  
  Thats a wild stat to through out without a source. It's like you consider some people are bad and just inherently criminals.
  But we can ignore that for a minute, it's really not important
  Let's spend a moment on how you just mentioned "crimes." Because there is a lot of difference between crimes. We have so many laws on the books. And far too many of them result in jail or prison time. We simply can't keep treating every single offence as one that involves losing a portion of a person's life. And that's not even mentioning the impact on ones family life and job for even arrests with days or weeks of incarceration.
  Criminal sentencing has ballooned as we dehumanize people who make a mistake or bad decision for whatever reason. As soon as I hear someone describe someone as a criminal, I can tell that they don't see them as a person anymore. They've developed a preconceived notion that they are irredeemably bad. It's how the police and how ICE make out the people it's targeting in a way to shift public opinion. They are bad, so we can do anything to them because they aren't people worthy of giving a shit about.
  But "criminals" are people. Many of which have made a poor decision due to circumstances beyond their control. Many who regret what they did. They don't deserve to be dehumanized.
Way things are going I will be one. Or dead or best case in another country. Its kinda freeing. I have been so worried for years to save enough for retirement and such and now that its just completely impossible I finally understand that dog in the fire.
There really needs to be a mandatory release for prisoners over 90.
- Life sentences and multiple consecutive life sentences are stupid and schizoid punishments. Completely disconnected from reality in the pursuit of some ultimate revenge thirst. They have nothing to do with justice.
  Most countries have accepted that there needs to be a limit on sentencing. Mostly they settle between 30 and 50 years of imprisonment.
  
  I'm so glad people like you don't get to make decisions like these.
  
  And Pdiddy only got 4
- No, there really doesn't.
- 90 is when I plan to go to prison for retirement. Free healthcare, food and shelter. Opposite to here country system will do everything so you don't die there.
Spoookey. The number is 16.666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666

21 comments