Shaping Public Policy on Older Inmates
In May of 2017, the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research will host a Summit to identify effective reentry policies and programs for older prisoners.
Reentry after incarceration is difficult at any age, but older adult prisoners face additional challenges when they return to their families or their communities.
Joseph Strickland, Associate Director & Senior Researcher at the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research, observes that while there has been research into general issues of incarceration and reentry, the problems specific to older inmates have not been sufficiently examined.
“We really need to come together to look at this,” Strickland emphasizes. “We need to figure out what has worked to help older prisoners reenter society. Then we can begin to organize the folks and resources necessary to make that happen in places where the issue isn’t being discussed yet. That’s why we’re holding this Summit.”
A Wide Range of Topics for Discussion
Assistant Professors Aaron Gottlieb and Branden McLeod are part of the team organizing the Summit, and they cite a dispiriting statistic: in Illinois, the percentage of people in prison who are age 50 or older has increased from about 8% in 2005 to about 17% in 2015. The primary reasons for this are longer sentences and reduced opportunities for parole, leaving prisoners behind bars for longer periods of time.
“There are a lot of reasons to be alarmed that our prison population is aging,” says Gottlieb, “and what we want to accomplish with the Summit is to pinpoint what the issues are, and speak to both the community and our policy-makers about how we can better address these issues.”
This Summit is about community involvement and trying to make positive social change.
However, the Summit will be more than simply presenting data. The aim of the event is to motivate people to create solutions that directly address these issues, as well as to arm them with the information they need to make more effective decisions.
To that end, the team sees the Summit’s dialog centering around two broad topics:
- The problems and complications associated with incarceration of older adults, and how these problems impact outcomes after their release, and
- The unique needs of older prisoners when they are released, and the resources needed to help them transition.
For example, health care is a theme that runs throughout the conversation. “Prison inmates age faster than the general population,” Gottlieb points out, “and they routinely have the health problems of older people, as well as higher incidence of disease.”
“But at the same time,” adds Strickland, “the higher healthcare needs of these aging prisoners aren’t being met, so it’s putting them at higher risk of death, even though they didn’t receive a death sentence. It’s shortening their lives.”
Assistant Professor McLeod further observes, “We need to examine health differences between those who were incarcerated at an advanced age and those who aged while sitting behind bars.”
Health issues may continue to arise, even after reentry. For example, older prisoners who have served long sentences may return with serious medical needs, but may have no medical records.
Longer sentences also impact inmates’ mental health, as well as social skills and employment skills. “Work is such an important part of how we see ourselves and feel valued,” says McLeod, “and older inmates have multiple barriers to employment. How do we help them overcome that?”
Shaking his head, Strickland adds, “They get out of prison, but they haven’t received any skills, so what are they supposed to do? For a guy like that who’s 60 years old, what are his chances for employment? How does he sustain a life?”
Another issue for returning citizens is that they often do not have the normal rights of most other citizens. For example, being convicted of a felony may preclude them from many kinds of employment, prevent them from voting in certain states, and may also preclude them from Section 8 housing. “It’s as if we’re still punishing them after they return,” Gottlieb says, “and we’re making it so much more likely that they’ll commit another crime, because it’s so hard for them to succeed.”
Gottlieb also asserts, “Incarcerating older people really doesn’t add up.” He goes on to explain that there is a wealth of evidence showing that after the age of 35, almost everyone stops offending. Further, older inmates are more expensive to house due to their health issues. “So if you’re worried about costs and your goal is to reduce crime,” he concludes, “you’re not accomplishing much to incarcerate older people.”
“All this leads to the fundamental point that this is an issue of human dignity,” summarizes McLeod. “That point rings true for our values as social workers: supporting the dignity of the individual, despite whatever crime they committed.”
Fostering a Dialogue that Spurs Action
On the question of the goal of the Summit, Associate Director Strickland sums it up nicely. “One of the key things that Jane Addams College does is to focus on social justice for those who are voiceless and feel powerless,” he says, “and older adult prisoners have no voice. But this Summit can give them one.”
“That’s why it’s important to have people from the community, people who work for agencies, or people who are advocates, attend this Summit. When you put the advocates together with the policy-makers you end up with educated policy-makers.” He pauses, then quickly adds, “There’s no training course for policy-makers on the issues faced by older adults in prison, so the Summit becomes a training session where we learn from each other. We’ll all know more about the issues, and more about what needs to be done.”
Assistant Professors Gottlieb and McLeod agree, with Gottlieb adding, “Given the mission of the College, we’re not doing research just to do research. This Summit is about community involvement and trying to make positive social change. That’s the great thing about Jane Addams.”