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Aging Prison Population Finds Parole Elusive
by Matt Clarke
According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Justice, about 11% of the state and federal prison population in 2016 was over age 55. Of those prisoners, numbering roughly 160,000, around 38,000 were 65 or older. The share of prisoners over age 50 …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Metropolitan Detention Center Guards Convicted in Sex Abuse Scandal, by Monte McCoin
- Tennessee Sheriff, Captain Arrested for Improper Use of Prisoner Labor, by Kevin Bliss
- Aging Prison Population Finds Parole Elusive, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Guard Who Scalded Florida Prisoner to Death Hired, Fired by Police Department, by David Reutter
- Illinois Ends Medical Co-Pays for Prisoners, But DOC Healthcare Criticized, by Derek Gilna
- Illinois Federal Jury Awards Prisoner $252,100 for Beating and Denial of Medical Care, by Edward Lyon
- Prisoners Face Retaliation for Raising Concerns About Criminal Justice System, by Edward Lyon
- $1 Million Award for Two Women Sexually Assaulted by Florida Jail Guard
- Florida Prisoner’s Suit Proceeds Against Guards for Use of Force, Retaliation, by Dale Chappell
- Vera Institute Announces Increase in Federal Funding to House Former Prisoners, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoner Loses Suit Against Jail Officials for Disclosure of His Medical Condition, by Edward Lyon
- New Mexico DOC Guards Receive $2.5 Million Settlement for Sexual Harassment, by Derek Gilna
- Maine Constitution Mandates “Prisoner Mailbox Rule”, by Mark Wilson
- DOJ Launches Investigation into Abuse at Florida Women’s Prison
- Washington State Prisoners Protest Poor Food, by Edward Lyon
- Class-Action Suit Against CoreCivic ICE Detention Center Allowed to Proceed, by Christopher Zoukis
- Audit Criticizes Milwaukee County Jail’s Contracted Medical Services, by Derek Gilna
- Colorado County Pays $800,000 for Latest Excessive Force Settlement, by Derek Gilna
- Harvard Student Group Advocates for Prison Education, Reform, by Monte McCoin
- Shareholder Resolutions Would Stop Private Prison Firms from Housing Separated Immigrant Families
- Trump Establishes Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry, by Monte McCoin
- $5 Million Settlement in Lawsuit Over Preventable Death of New Mexico Jail Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: Illinois Prisoner Entitled to Retrial After Appointment of Counsel Denied, by Derek Gilna
- Second Circuit: Prisoners Have the Right Not to Snitch, by Christopher Zoukis
- New York Prisoner Entitled to Vegetarian, Dairy Tolerant, Kosher Diet Under RLUIPA
- Book Seller Sued for Defrauding Federal Prisons
- Virginia DOC Called Out for Use of Solitary Confinement, by Kevin Bliss
- First Step Act Passes – Includes Federal Sentencing, Prison Reforms, by Steve Horn
- Guards Face Federal Charges for Smuggling Drugs, Cell Phones Into Idaho Prisons, by Dale Chappell
- Alabama Sheriff Pockets Excess Jail Food Funds, Buys Beach House, Loses Re-election Bid, by Kevin Bliss
- Report Highlights Shortcomings of New York’s Parole Board, by Christopher Zoukis
- $3.279 Million in Costs and Fees Awarded in Wrongful Death Suit Involving Epileptic Prisoner, by R. Bailey
- Settlement in HRDC Suit Against Solitary Confinement of Juveniles at Florida Jail
- Thurgood Marshall, Jr.’s Controversial Position on Board of Private Prison Firm, by Steve Horn
- Ohio County Jail Faces Increased Liability Due to Numerous Lawsuits, by Edward Lyon
- Seventh Circuit Remands Lawsuit Over Book Confiscation at Cook County Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Alaskan Native American Company Profits from Immigrant Detention, by Christopher Zoukis
- Connecticut Passes Law to Protect Women, Transgender Prisoners, by Dale Chappell
- $550,000 Settlement for Detainee Rendered Quadriplegic by Guard’s Excessive Force
- Lawsuits Filed Over South Dakota Replacing Prison Law Libraries with Tablets, by Derek Gilna
- Prisoners File Environmental Lawsuit Against Proposed Federal Prison in Kentucky, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Alabama DOC Ordered to Remedy Overcrowded, Understaffed Prisons in Mental Health Suit, by Kevin W. Bliss
- $32,000 Settlement in Excessive Force Case Involving Mentally Ill Alabama Prisoner
- A Jailbreak of the Imagination: Seeing Prisons for What They Are and Demanding Transformation, by Mariame Kaba, Kelly Hayes
- $750,000 Settlement for Family of Man Who Died in Illinois Jail, by David M. Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Seventh Circuit Vacates ADA Summary Judgment Against Cook County Sheriff, by Derek Gilna
- Sex Crimes and Criminal Justice: Formerly Incarcerated Sex Offenders Say Civil Commitment Programs Deny Proper Rehabilitation, by Barbara Koeppel
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Nevada Non-Profit Founder Under Investigation for Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Contractor Misconduct, Complaints, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Guaranteed Income Helps People Leaving Jail and Prison, and That Helps Everyone, May 1, 2026. Crime/Demographics, Prisoner Privileges, housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Fines.
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, April 1, 2026. Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Totality of Conditions, Parole, Life without Parole (LWOP), Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Colorado Law Intended to Reduce Prison Population Hasn’t Improved Conditions, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Parole, halfway houses, Reduction of Prison Population.
- New Jersey Governor’s Order Allows People with Prior Felony Convictions to Serve on Jury Duty, March 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, State Legislation, Restrictions, discrimination, Jury Selection.
- Maine Was the First State to Abolish Parole. Incarcerated Mainers, Advocates Hope to Bring it Back., March 1, 2026. Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, De Facto Life Sentence.
- One in 10 Prison Admissions Is Now for Technical Parole Violation, March 1, 2026. Parole Conditions, State Legislation, Restrictions, discrimination, Revocation Proceedings.
- Colorado Lawmakers Approve Prison Bed Funding, Despite DOC Understaffing, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Staffing, Parole, Overdetention, Reduction of Prison Population.
- by Jo Ellen Nott I n a significant victory for the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals and those with arrest records, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1836, known as the “Clean Slate” Act, on January 16, 2026. The legislation, March 1, 2026. Collateral consequences of prison, State Legislation, housing, Restrictions, discrimination, Prior Convictions - Expungement or Reversal of.
- North Carolina Parole Commission Agrees to Stop “Moving Goalposts” for Prisoners Who Committed Crime as Juveniles, Feb. 1, 2026. Parole Board Misconduct, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Parole, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

