
Elderly inmates are now in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. The release of these inmates, many who were imprisoned for non-violent crimes and/or drug possession would not constitute a danger to their communities. A fiscal analysis by the ACLU found that states would save approximately $66,000 a year for each elderly inmate released from prison.
Bruce Harrison, a 63 year old federal inmate, has served almost twenty one years of a fifty year sentence. Mr. Harrison, two time purple heart recipient during the Vietnam War, was arrested in 1994, for transporting large amounts of marijuana and cocaine. The arrests were part of a sting by undercover federal agents. Mr. Harrison was paid $1,000 for each trip ( several trips) and received a fifty year sentence. After the sentences were imposed, jurors objected to the mandatory sentence in light of the extenuating circumstances. Today, revised federal sentencing guidelines impose much lower prison terms for low-level drug offenders.

Washington Post photo by Nikki Kahn)
Unfortunately, Mr. Harrison, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, is still incarcerated. He walks with special medical boots because of a painful foot condition that causes him to feel he’s “stepping on a needle.’ He has suffered from vertigo and is undergoing tests for a heart condition.
The American Civil Liberties Union issued a report in 2013 about elderly inmates. The elderly inmate population has increased 1300 percent since the early 1980’s. The federal government and the states spend more than $16 billion a year to incarcerate aging inmates. The report noted that almost all inmates over 50 are not a threat to society. It costs $68,000 to imprison an elderly inmate which was twice the cost to imprison a young inmate. The difference in costs resulted from health care expenses which has increased every year. Now, the new age of the Corona virus has placed aging inmates at great risk for injury and death. Prisons do not have the facilities or the medical personal to mitigate or treat this growing epidemic. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has stated, the densely crowded prisons “creates a risk of infection and transmission for inmates and staff.”
Health care in prisons for aging inmates is inadequate at best, and at its worst–a death sentence. The physicians and their assistants are not trained for care of the geriatric prison population. Most prisons do not treat elderly inmates differently from young inmates, although their healthcare requirements are very different. On a personal note, I watched inmates stand in line outside in the rain for 30 minutes waiting for their medications. Some of these inmates were over 70 and required canes to walk.
According to Jamie Fellner, a senior advisor at Human Rights Watch and an author of a report, “Old Behind Bars,” “There are countless ways that the aging inmates, some with dementia, bump up against the prison culture,”… “It is difficult to climb to the upper bunk, walk up stairs, wait outside for pills, take showers in facilities without bars and even hear the commands to stand up for count or sit down when you’re told.”
Additionally, elderly inmates are easily victimized by predatory inmates. I knew one inmate in his 50’s who was attacked, and seriously injured by a 21 year old inmate, because the young man wanted his chair. Some prisons do have tiers for inmates, who are over the age of 40. This policy has helped somewhat in protecting older inmates from younger inmates, but has not eliminated the predatory issue, since all inmates share the chow hall and the outside areas.
There are solutions for this growing crisis. First, we need to eliminate all mandatory sentencing and allow the judges sentencing discretion. Second, our justice system should look to alternative sentencing programs, instead of prison for defendants, who have committed nonviolent crimes. Third, and most importantly, the decisions regarding parole and early compassionate release should place more emphasis on the age and health of the inmate.
By: Bradley Schwartz
Founder of prisonpath.com
Prison Consultant
And sending them where?
By-Patricia
my thoughts exactly. There is no where to house them elsewhere right now.
By-Leona
That’s just great ,let’s just spread this Corona from one place to another. I say let the inmates with sex crimes stay in
More demo communistic bs!
By-Cindy
If the prisons don’t have adequate medical supplies for theirs and the inmates’ protection, the whole prison is at risk. All personnel don’t stay 24/7 at the prisons.
By-Minnie
Some of them from different prisons in different states are being released because of this mess and they are letting them go home
Bad idea ,keep people in jail they ate their for a reason. You don’t need a crime wave in addition to dealing with this Virus crisis.
By-Collier
Some people are in there for stuff they didn’t do
Are they realising prisoners from the northern NH correctional facility because of the coronavirus?
I hope some inmates who meet the criteria will be released.
If the prisons don’t have adequate medical supplies for theirs and the inmates’ protection, the whole prison is at risk. All personnel don’t stay 24/7 at the prisons.
By Minnie
So let’s release them out there to continue the spread but we are all suppose to stay home well they need to stay there
By Renae
Keep them in there we have enough issues to deal with don’t need them to
Arlene
I need my son at home with me. He is an only child. He has never been in trouble before and this was a traffic accident. I barely can walk. Treatments for cancer damaged my bones and nerves in my legs and back. Please think before you speak. I live in an apartment building with guys my son’s age on meth and they live off the government and their mothers. True criminals live across the street from me. I’m afraid to go to my car after dark. I need my son. He isn’t an issue to me.
The people serving time police themselves and have a very structured life. They are not the ones we need to worry about. The ones that were already out of prison and now on parole or probation are who we need to concern ourselves with. Right now, they have free reign bcuz they are not having to report and take weekly drug tests OR adhere to their counseling or outpatient drug rehabilitation programs. The men and women who catch a break and are allowed to come home are probably so grateful for this opportunity that they will integrate back into society… Read more »
In a crisis like this, if ur a non violent offender over 65, have some type of monitored house arrest. Not for there comfort so much as keeping the virus contained as best they could. And even more importantly for the prison staff’s protection.
What has happened to compassion in our country there are many senior non violent offenders serving ridiculously long prison sentences because of draconian sentencing guidelines that have been revoked I stress non violent not harden criminals
I understand your point and agree to a point. BUT, most people outside the wire (Free world) don’t understand prison politics. The inmates run the prison thru their numerous gangs. The CO”s are just there to run errands for inmates and count inmates 4 times a day. Each gang member has a code to live by. If he fails to follow his gang’s rules, then he puts all of his “brothers” in a bad light. So, his gamg WILL deal with him accordingly and the CO’s know this and are happy for it bcuz it means less paperwork for them.… Read more »
My baby brother is in there and has no immune system. He never hurt or killed anyone. He doesn’t register on OTIS and I am scared to death. These are human beings.