Insights & Information

A recent editorial by Karen Drucker in Sense and Sustainability notes that approximately one in ten individuals in prisons are serving life sentences, resulting in an increase in the elderly population. Policies such as "three strikes" and mandatory minimum sentencing have caused this "stacking" to increase. In California, the estimated average cost to incarcerate a prisoner has increased by $19,200 since 2000, primarily becasue of increased health care costs and treatments for chronic diseases. Incarcerating older populations costs three to nine times more than younger ones. The author calls for an increase in compassionate release programs for those with terminal or severe chronic illness as well as a reduction in the duration of sentences. To read the full piece, click here.