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![Ieatth saun, e depression and cther pchological effects can undermine good health* These foctors et for 3 consensus that sge 55 delineates the ederly popuiaton nprison Y The Impactf th conditions of confinement on New Jersey’s aingprscners s clar: many of hose Intervemedesorteh facng dificulte inacces t basc sences and 5 3 resut thel heslth was etarirsig, Hanyisokalked about the eycholaca mpact ofang sentences, [For more detol obout tese problens, please see the testimonial below] Aithouh thore s medical bulding for serously M or @sabled peoplein one state prison, there are no Specia s forthe many frall, sckly and poorlyfuncioning ldery people I the ret of the system. These eosese oien double-celled with younger adlts, who may lter help care fo them, o who place thamat sk of harm. Can oo lsoners apply for “geristic” reease? Only 25 ses s the Distrct f Columbia have 3processfor reeasin geravic pisoners. These olicisvay, bt they generalyinvole paroe, furoughs and medicalor compassionate reiease nd lght e variouscrerta Including ag, smount f e served, medical onditon and sk 0 ke ey, mony tates these proceduresare rarely ed, and speciclly exclde people with violent and e afese hsores. Since pridanersover 5 e oten i forlong sentences,based on serious offenses, hey maybe s kel to qually for these pograms.” 1 New sy, the relesare very sic for spphyingfor medical paroe, medicarelease and clemency.In geners, pionrs have 1o damonsirat they hav termina onditan whth s than s moriths t v, o have ot beenconvicted of serous cime; Mast elderyprsonersdo not qualifyforthis narrow condinlorease. In 2035, Nei irsey Governor ChisChisle vetoed a bl that would have. pandedth iters for medical reeasetoplsoners with permanent physcal incapaciy.” Wihout oy specalprorsions fo *geriaticrelease.” oMer prisoners ae subject o general parole practies that keep maypecple I prison unnecessarly. Whatisth ot o caring or the aging pioner population? One prsen mpact o an aing prson populton s he enarmous costnhausng and care o ldry tsonc. A roners eguire more madical cae, making them a costlrsegrientaf e ion i Acordng o the JourneloftheAmerian Medic Assocation,pisoners olde than 55 hve o e e chranic conditons, and 2 many a5 20 percent of them ave el lnes.Thsr et sl services, Icluing médictions and dévices uch 33 waker,whielchirs, heading Sevcessndbresthing i s igniicant, Therfor, e prisones ar ¢ eas two to thiee tives 35 xpemietoaprisen 2 younger prisones, ey because o thei restermedlcal needs.™ ‘A matrof crminal jutice polc,the ostof Imprisoniag eldry nd Sk prisonrs cann be i because thy genarly donotpae 8k o thecutside word and areunlkaly o re-ffend. ‘What doss Iternstionsi human righislew say sbout Imprisoning aderly people? Wi iternationsl human fghtslow does notpreciuda impriscnment of ider peopl,the practics of oing s raises two major concerns. Firs, the condiions of onfinement should be consistent with the requirements ofhuran rights w. Ot pisoners, ke all prisoners, havetherght o b treated with respector thelr humarity and. aherent human dignt,to b frae from torture orcther cruel, lahuman, o degrading reatment or punishment, o recelve appropriate medical nd mentalheath care,tohave rezsonabie sccommodationforthe dsablltes 3nd to be provided acttes nd programs tosupport thelr rehabiation” )](Aging In Prison A Human Rights Problem We Must Fix 4.png)

![“The medetsuctioninpison I polca. [.] 1 person bs o medicalcondition t0 be checked onor they hovetodo theiranaua to check onthes heoithth proces i they conus 1103 o form of punishmen. (. [There s o I of peopie ond your nome dd’t come up yet oxd you il be domn neor Gead beforeyou are seen. Forexomple, what’s hoppening with Mumio. We inow theyare using the mediclthig s form of punishment withim. Thsis whatthey do. Thre are other prisoners who. orababycosbe heoled or dagnosed withsomething at oneorlystoge ond becouse ofthee polcal offilvonorh poliics i prson they worr’ e seen 15,3 63 yesrokd man who has served 34 years i stat prison, hasseen chroncalyll pisoners die: “Everyone et v know here thot contraced o serious discose such o cocer, it about ol of them ave died. 16ontknow anyone here that survived concerond hos been here ver the years. 1 know thot’ ot casistentwit the core popleget n society.” GU, 3 65 yerold man who spent 41 yeas I state prison, o saw prisoners die: “Fve octuoly seen o man have o heort attock, o on the oor; the correctionsefce blew the whiste. They col it medicol emergency code 22. They came up tothe uni ond wotched him and soid they could’t do anything for him unt medico st/ come. Medico saff came twenty minutes after hey come i the room. This man wos n shock. He die. 1 wolched himllon te oot and die. Thot’s ow poor the mediclreotment s Inthe pison. ) hod @ heort aftck ot 37 yeorsod. 110id I the yord 5 minstes 1 on hour bfore they took me out o th yord. [..] They then hod 1o et approva for me o betoken from the prison to the hospial because was i close custody . 1 wound up not getting tothe hospitolunti two hours loer | hink had 1 st been exercising nd eating 0 0od det | would hove diec Lack of adequate dietand exercise. ML, 42yearold man who served mare than t contrbutes to poo heslthn aging prisoners: cade In stateprsons,observed how poor Mot el nen s theyoged inison developed some ypeof men whsher & wos ey Jllore, i chlesters, ig s becauseth oo hey v s the i the worst. You can’tver deny Ao e e h U o goad. 5o nanyre you dig e youare o going o Have medeo expnses. Tha s compound ngs ecoueyou et vt g o gt deguote medlsenices, L. prison o detlortebecouse you gt nodeqote medal sstonce and e the Sometimeyou’ coing o et hr’s eathy. Evenf you g 0 commisan e eny e prodocs heylfrincommisry re ptato chp, snacs, soups ot ore Highn sedu. Thee or o ltmothes o onuneathy . Youar aging i prion you s no et o proper i, and you don’ et mediclasstance 0 the combinaonof those things s o te deerioroon” GU, 69-year-old man wh spent 41 years I sate prison,descrbed poor o “There arenot very many healty options n terms of dietn prison. T die consists f bosicaly sugor and starch. The met products are of the owest quaky. The diet s very defcen ofalth dolly requiremests person would eed for o healthy aging process. They ae basicaly storvig pecple utronoly. I form of genocide the way that they feed prisaners” MU, 50-uar-id woman who spent ten years i state prisons, descibed ack of oercie:](Aging In Prison A Human Rights Problem We Must Fix 6.png)
![“When youare ncarcerated you have one hour of rec and f you ore I administratie segregation you probobly have none.” RC, 57-year-oldworman who served four yaars n pison, described how pison offcals have hited prisoners’ movemant: “You con ony 9o out for an hour o day. They don’t even go outanymare to walk over 0 the mess holl, They bing the ood toeot o the tie. Wherever you ive tha s where you . The aly time you moy o outis fyou have losss. You con o toclass and come back or whatever. O the groups,whatever the aroups are that may be offered now. They can go to those and come bock. That’s basicay 1" Lack of sppeprnt care for mental disabily and dsease. GU, 0 63+l man who spent 31 years n stae pison, described an overrelance on paychotroplc rugs andlog perods of confinamentof people wid mentalliness: “The drugswil moke you doche and thn they put youIn o closed confinementunit. They my eave you i the dosedconfnement unitfor up t 25 years. ’veseen t done nsomany Instances. [.] Nt only do you have rypeople wich mestal health concerns But you lso hove the young kids wh come i sow Wwho are ontese oy types of drsgs. In generol ppulstionof 1,600 people | would soy 800 of them ore o sameformof psychotropk drugs. I @ huge problem.” 15,3 63 yewold man, recaled “They reoly do’care for peaple with ¢ mentol nes. Alotf peopl nthis environment mentaly Geterioote.L_| ey don’t doonythingfor menta helthin this ploceather then ging pecple medicaion-buthere s very it theropy tha peosie et that can be conducie t your well-bein.” MU, 354 el womisn who spent 10 years i prisen, descibed neglect o the mantal disabled or disonsed: “ wouk see mentolly i potientsseting I thel eces snd throwng thl food around. Sieping n iop ond that’se formof llnes. [.] The way they teat rentolly I and pecple who are i in general whether they ore ey poungis anabomination.* prison,dascrbed neglectof the mentally “The medkalunt i prisan i horile. & guy might g» downfor medcalcore with dementio and the’d Soy there’sothing we can do. Wikh Alcheimer’s theywoud Just put you In o cell and forget about Jou. InSauth Woods, we col the desth comp, becase that’s where they send you to d, because they. supposedy bovethe fociltes 5 accormmodate thembut thy Just end p throwing you In @ cell o waste Lack of sfacal provisions for eldarly pisoners - MU, S4yeur woman who spent 10 years in prion, sak the prison officls trested the oldely prisonersthesama as the others: “They et he el e ory otherlamate. The ideo o ony specaltreatment fo th eldery is outthe door. Prsoni rison. How they run the prison s Inhumane, the samefor veryone. It means you ore](Aging In Prison A Human Rights Problem We Must Fix 7.png)
![foced wid npefessonal guards. The word elery s out o thei ocabulery. You are a prsoner, plain and simpe. They trest yu e ony other inmote:” g RC. 3 57yea0 woman who served four years,added: “Mostly what 0w were wormen wh come I oged. They come n wheelehars. Theywere expected to 90 everything o5 we weredoing Theydid’t gt an specil help o consideraton, othing. 1 hey hod to 90 10 medicalone of the gis rom onthe ter would push them over. They had no e to help thern or speciol occommodotions” : MLR, 3 42 ear-old man who spent more than 10 yers i varios prisons, dscrbed how agng poners face difcites withbunk b “No matter how old you oe the/I make you get up on the top bunk. You can have an obvioss back injury and theywill bascaly ke you Jump through hoops o gt any considertion. You basicaty have o hove recentback surgery and be domaged goods ust o get cpprova or o bottom bunk. A guy ity o seventy yeors ol has tojump up ond down offth top bunk with o matiress being too sl GU,» 6-year-okd man who spent 41 years inprison,aso sw apressing need for specil accommodations: “The eldery prsonersore usually thrown Inwith the younger prisaners I doutle ok stuations. The conditions for mast oder men oe terble becous they Iveinth cllswith these young ids. And thse young kids are 5o disespectful o thse older men. Maryofthem sufe from mestol Bness f s ‘physical sickness (] Clorythere shouldbespeciol housing foralder pisoners. They needspeciol medicol cor,thy need specol xercses, and they need counseling—all of thing tht re ot provided i the general popultion o thot g level. Sanfary conditons are horendous because most alger on’tpraperly clean themseies. They don’t cre; they Just put themina cllwithanater persor 45,3 60-year-old man who served 30 years i Northern Stte prson, expressed th same view: “Thereshoudbe speiol oo for older prsoners. Thre should b on area where they can confce with €ach ather about heokth sues oxd work amangst each ather. When you get alderyour moveman sy ‘down. Inthe population younge pisoners think older prisaners slow things down ot wark Impact of poor conditons and long sentences L5, 3.yeaold man who hasseved 34 years o s sentence urenty nTrenon St pron, escrived the Impact o ong senten “They have some astronomkal sentencesintheseprisons.f you gove & 20-yeor-olda sentence of 0 or 70 yeorsyou’re tellng them thot they ore goin todienthre. . A o therm did’restze hey woutd e here thatang. Sometimes I tokes them akong ime toreaize they have o death sentencef they don’tget thei senténce reduced or their convctons reversed.” He o150 observed how poor conditions cause prisaners to age faster: ! started secing people beingaffected medically usuallyaroundtheir mid-30s I heve, Bcouse st the ock of mobilty and the lock of utritiossdie. They buy th lowest cos faod roducts they canfind. 50 fock of nutrtous diet and lockof movement s detimental o everybody young or o, Yo see the effets](Aging In Prison A Human Rights Problem We Must Fix 8.png)




AGING IN PRISON
A HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEM WE MUST FIX
OF AMERICARN
CORRECTIONS
i et
G e—
o e i s v ndion
Table of contents
1. Overview
2. Testimonials
3. Preliminary recommendations for New Jersey
4. Acknowledgements
Prison, where is thy victory?
Huey P- Newton
Overview 3
The population of sderly prisonars s o the ise
The mumber and percentage ofederly prisoners n the Urited Sates s grown dramatcll i past
Gecades inthe yoar 2000, plsoners 5ge 55 3nd oder accounted for 3 percent f the peion population.
Today, they ae about 16 pecent of that populaton. Batween 2007 and 2030, the number o prisoners
e 65 and lder Increased by 3 sarming 63 percent, compared t030.7 percent ncresse ofthe overal
rison population. AL i ae, prisoners 55 and lder wil approach anethid of the total prson
populaton by the year 2030
‘What accountsfor tis e In the number of ederly pisoners?
The rise n the number of older peopieInprisons does notreflect anncreased cime rae mong this
population.Rather, the drving force fo this phenomenon has been the "tough on rme” polces
dopted throughout the prison system, from sentencig through pacl. 1 recent decades, tate and
fodaral legisiators have ncresed th lengehs o sentences throigh mandatary minimeans 20d the-
Srikes s, ncease the number of cimes punlshed with e 3nd fe-withoutparole and made some.
crimes Inligil forparcle.
Even when reease becomes judcaly permissile parole boards focus on long:past ffenses without
giving suficent weight o indiidusl and stfistical evidence of decreased isk. Many states ave aso
‘adopted harsh parole revocaion polices, which cause more paroleesto cetum o priso fortechnical
iolations of arole e, not new crimes. As reslt, more people ae sering longer sentences; they
are aging anddying i prison.
‘Whats the siuation n Hew Jersey?
Now Jarsey racksthenatonal trends. Th state s taken Important seps to reduce ks prison
population b reducing th scope and magnitude of mandatory minimum sentences or narcotics
offenses. But the Deparument of Corections does not adequately address the needsofth ring
roportion of olderprisoners who cannot beneftfor thesa changes, Egibiltycriteria in thelaws.
ermittng th parole o elese of medicaly compromised prisoners ae nafrow andsulct. A3 resut,
Che New rsey Department o Corrections repors that there were 445 more prisoness over age 55 1n
2016 than In2011.
Netw Jesey's No Ealy Reease Act imits parole lighility for people convicted of ceran seious
crimes.? Butlong-term edery prisoners who pass these legisiatvely imposed benchmarks are sl likey
<o be denied release by Paroe Board which gives undue weight o their decades old ofenses.
Moreover, the Board ko Imposes ong perlods between parole hearings,leaving elderly prsons to
awaitdeath i prison. Equall troublng. people withserious menta linessare ept i prison ather than
oeing paroled under commitment to mental healthnstiutions. When these ederly i pisoners are
inally eleased at the end of thelr maximum sentences, they rereturned to the communty wihout
adequate provisionfor mentsl health supervision and treatment *
‘Whatis theimpact of iprisonment on aging priseners?
The pivictand mentaiheatih consequences of g Inpison cn be devastaing. The full range of
allments nemly swsocited with aging may be acelerated o compounded, s prisoners often ack the
< pproprite micacore, foed, socalitation; and exercise facites needed to keep 3ging people
Peatt. The pchclogial I actof gin i pison I also an mporant factor affecing pisoners
Ieatth saun, e depression and cther pchological effects can undermine good health* These
foctors et for 3 consensus that sge 55 delineates the ederly popuiaton nprison Y
The Impactf th conditions of confinement on New Jersey's aingprscners s clar: many of hose
Intervemedesorteh facng dificulte inacces t basc sences and 5 3 resut thel heslth was
etarirsig, Hanyisokalked about the eycholaca mpact ofang sentences, [For more detol
obout tese problens, please see the testimonial below]
Aithouh thore s medical bulding for serously M or @sabled peoplein one state prison, there are no
Specia s forthe many frall, sckly and poorlyfuncioning ldery people I the ret of the system.
These eosese oien double-celled with younger adlts, who may lter help care fo them, o who
place thamat sk of harm.
Can oo lsoners apply for “geristic” reease?
Only 25 ses s the Distrct f Columbia have 3processfor reeasin geravic pisoners. These
olicisvay, bt they generalyinvole paroe, furoughs and medicalor compassionate reiease nd
lght e variouscrerta Including ag, smount f e served, medical onditon and sk 0 ke
ey, mony tates these proceduresare rarely ed, and speciclly exclde people with violent and
e afese hsores. Since pridanersover 5 e oten i forlong sentences,based on serious offenses,
hey maybe s kel to qually for these pograms.”
1 New sy, the relesare very sic for spphyingfor medical paroe, medicarelease and clemency.In
geners, pionrs have 1o damonsirat they hav termina onditan whth s than s moriths t v,
o have ot beenconvicted of serous cime; Mast elderyprsonersdo not qualifyforthis narrow
condinlorease. In 2035, Nei irsey Governor ChisChisle vetoed a bl that would have.
pandedth iters for medical reeasetoplsoners with permanent physcal incapaciy.” Wihout
oy specalprorsions fo *geriaticrelease.” oMer prisoners ae subject o general parole practies that
keep maypecple I prison unnecessarly.
Whatisth ot o caring or the aging pioner population?
One prsen mpact o an aing prson populton s he enarmous costnhausng and care o ldry
tsonc. A roners eguire more madical cae, making them a costlrsegrientaf e ion
i Acordng o the JourneloftheAmerian Medic Assocation,pisoners olde than 55 hve
o e e chranic conditons, and 2 many a5 20 percent of them ave el lnes.Thsr
et sl services, Icluing médictions and dévices uch 33 waker,whielchirs, heading
Sevcessndbresthing i s igniicant, Therfor, e prisones ar ¢ eas two to thiee tives 35
xpemietoaprisen 2 younger prisones, ey because o thei restermedlcal needs.™
‘A matrof crminal jutice polc,the ostof Imprisoniag eldry nd Sk prisonrs cann be
i because thy genarly donotpae 8k o thecutside word and areunlkaly o re-ffend.
‘What doss Iternstionsi human righislew say sbout Imprisoning aderly people?
Wi iternationsl human fghtslow does notpreciuda impriscnment of ider peopl,the practics of
oing s raises two major concerns.
Firs, the condiions of onfinement should be consistent with the requirements ofhuran rights w.
Ot pisoners, ke all prisoners, havetherght o b treated with respector thelr humarity and.
aherent human dignt,to b frae from torture orcther cruel, lahuman, o degrading reatment or
punishment, o recelve appropriate medical nd mentalheath care,tohave rezsonabie
sccommodationforthe dsablltes 3nd to be provided acttes nd programs tosupport thelr
rehabiation” )
1 New Jersey and many states across th country, conditons are cearly ot adequate to dal it the
Infirmites that come with age. Human Rghts Watch research found that i many states th rghts of
eiderly prisoners were wolated by a combination of imited resources esistance o changes in
ongstandingrues and poliies,ack of support from elected offcils and nsuffcient nternal attention
o the ulque needs ofoder prisons
s
Secondy, asde rom the condiions of confinement, 3 pisoner's sentence shoud notmpose »
Gisproportionately severe punishment Yet in many cass, th length o prisoner’s sentence besrs an
Insuffcent roatoriship o the har caused to others or the communky. Intarnstionaaw statesthat
disproportionatlylengthy prson sentences may volte theprohibiton on ruel and shuman
punishment and can amount to rbtrary deprivation of ey,
Even f the length ofthesentence were propertionate at thetime of sentencing, the anlyss of
proportansity changes with age. When prisaners have grown od and ral o i, the purposes of
Imprisonment—deterrence, Incapactaion,rehabiltation, and retibution—are no longer met through
continued incarceration. Oider prisoners re ess kely to ommitaddonsi crimes sher thlr reease.
than areyounger prisoners; they ae often incapadtated doe to raihy, issbilty r ines;fong.
imprisonment impedes rehabltation;and th retrbutive purpose ofthlrimprisonment could be
‘achieved through ahematies controls,such a5 conditonal elease.
Testimonials
Our Interviews with 16 men andl women, between the 3 of 52 30d 79 and who are urrently inor
ware cecertyeeased from prison n New Jrsey,show how the state's pisons have faed to provide
‘eBpropciate cndiions fo the aging populiton. They descibed 3 ack of agpropriate medical care, diet
nd exerciendthe trauma of being inprison for preionged periods.
0L, 71-yeacald man who has served 28 yersinsate prison, descrbed thenadequato carefo agng
prisaners:
i prison theldely need more careInterms of both operotons and medicatons than the overoge
Younger pine. The system doesn't wnttospend the money they need toon older pisoners So
they’dgetthdor fourth rate drugsto et your ollments. They I put off & sugery you need for years
‘ond years.[| oy prisoner oses control of thelr bodyfunctons they might be In @ hospialunt scing
i thele woste becouse 1o one wants to change them. Nurses don't wont o deal with prisoners thet woy.
because they 0 i€ diy job. 5o they l hove the prison Iterns do . I overighs, theprsoner wil
‘have tositintal night untl the folowing doy. I¢'s a teribe thingt0 o to pison but s worse to
row od i pson”
106, age 54 whoserved 21 years, recounted how he was denied prompt reatment:
“sulfer rom hernioted spine and sollosi In 2002 1w ina prisan fght on the yord where | wes
njured andptnthe hoe for o fightdidnot couse. | was Inthe whole for tbwo weeks the guords did et
me s the medkol toffjrer o week of the ncident
MU, 854 yesrold woman wh spent ten yearsin tateprisons, described haw medicalcare could be
used to ducininate agsinst some prisoners.
“The medetsuctioninpison I polca. [.] 1 person bs o medicalcondition t0 be checked onor
they hovetodo theiranaua to check onthes heoithth proces i they conus 1103 o form of
punishmen. (. [There s o I of peopie ond your nome dd't come up yet oxd you il be domn neor
Gead beforeyou are seen. Forexomple, what's hoppening with Mumio. We inow theyare using the
mediclthig s form of punishment withim. Thsis whatthey do. Thre are other prisoners who.
orababycosbe heoled or dagnosed withsomething at oneorlystoge ond becouse ofthee polcal
offilvonorh poliics i prson they worr' e seen
15,3 63 yesrokd man who has served 34 years i stat prison, hasseen chroncalyll pisoners die:
“Everyone et v know here thot contraced o serious discose such o cocer, it about ol of them
ave died. 16ontknow anyone here that survived concerond hos been here ver the years. 1 know
thot' ot casistentwit the core popleget n society.”
GU, 3 65 yerold man who spent 41 yeas I state prison, o saw prisoners die:
“Fve octuoly seen o man have o heort attock, o on the oor; the correctionsefce blew the
whiste. They col it medicol emergency code 22. They came up tothe uni ond wotched him and soid
they could't do anything for him unt medico st/ come. Medico saff came twenty minutes after
hey come i the room. This man wos n shock. He die. 1 wolched himllon te oot and die. Thot's
ow poor the mediclreotment s Inthe pison. ) hod @ heort aftck ot 37 yeorsod. 110id I the
yord 5 minstes 1 on hour bfore they took me out o th yord. [..] They then hod 1o et approva for
me o betoken from the prison to the hospial because was i close custody . 1 wound up not
getting tothe hospitolunti two hours loer | hink had 1 st been exercising nd eating 0 0od det |
would hove diec
Lack of adequate dietand exercise.
ML, 42yearold man who served mare than
t contrbutes to poo heslthn aging prisoners:
cade In stateprsons,observed how poor
Mot el nen s theyoged inison developed some ypeof men whsher & wos ey
Jllore, i chlesters, ig s becauseth oo hey v s the i the worst. You can'tver
deny Ao e e h U o goad. 5o nanyre you dig e youare o going o
Have medeo expnses. Tha s compound ngs ecoueyou et vt g o gt deguote
medlsenices, L. prison o detlortebecouse you gt nodeqote medal sstonce and e the
Sometimeyou' coing o et hr's eathy. Evenf you g 0 commisan e eny e prodocs
heylfrincommisry re ptato chp, snacs, soups ot ore Highn sedu. Thee or o
ltmothes o onuneathy . Youar aging i prion you s no et o proper i, and you don’
et mediclasstance 0 the combinaonof those things s o te deerioroon”
GU, 69-year-old man wh spent 41 years I sate prison,descrbed poor o
“There arenot very many healty options n terms of dietn prison. T die consists f bosicaly sugor
and starch. The met products are of the owest quaky. The diet s very defcen ofalth dolly
requiremests person would eed for o healthy aging process. They ae basicaly storvig pecple
utronoly. I form of genocide the way that they feed prisaners”
MU, 50-uar-id woman who spent ten years i state prisons, descibed ack of oercie:
“When youare ncarcerated you have one hour of rec and f you ore I administratie segregation you
probobly have none.”
RC, 57-year-oldworman who served four yaars n pison, described how pison offcals have hited
prisoners’ movemant:
“You con ony 9o out for an hour o day. They don't even go outanymare to walk over 0 the mess holl,
They bing the ood toeot o the tie. Wherever you ive tha s where you . The aly time you moy o
outis fyou have losss. You con o toclass and come back or whatever. O the groups,whatever the
aroups are that may be offered now. They can go to those and come bock. That's basicay 1"
Lack of sppeprnt care for mental disabily and dsease.
GU, 0 63+l man who spent 31 years n stae pison, described an overrelance on paychotroplc
rugs andlog perods of confinamentof people wid mentalliness:
“The drugswil moke you doche and thn they put youIn o closed confinementunit. They my eave you
i the dosedconfnement unitfor up t 25 years. 'veseen t done nsomany Instances. [.] Nt only do
you have rypeople wich mestal health concerns But you lso hove the young kids wh come i sow
Wwho are ontese oy types of drsgs. In generol ppulstionof 1,600 people | would soy 800 of them
ore o sameformof psychotropk drugs. I @ huge problem.”
15,3 63 yewold man, recaled
“They reoly do'care for peaple with ¢ mentol nes. Alotf peopl nthis environment mentaly
Geterioote.L_| ey don't doonythingfor menta helthin this ploceather then ging pecple
medicaion-buthere s very it theropy tha peosie et that can be conducie t your well-bein.”
MU, 354 el womisn who spent 10 years i prisen, descibed neglect o the mantal disabled or
disonsed:
“ wouk see mentolly i potientsseting I thel eces snd throwng thl food around. Sieping n iop
ond that'se formof llnes. [.] The way they teat rentolly I and pecple who are i in general whether
they ore ey poungis anabomination.*
prison,dascrbed neglectof the mentally
“The medkalunt i prisan i horile. & guy might g» downfor medcalcore with dementio and the'd
Soy there'sothing we can do. Wikh Alcheimer's theywoud Just put you In o cell and forget about
Jou. InSauth Woods, we col the desth comp, becase that's where they send you to d, because they.
supposedy bovethe fociltes 5 accormmodate thembut thy Just end p throwing you In @ cell o waste
Lack of sfacal provisions for eldarly pisoners -
MU, S4yeur woman who spent 10 years in prion, sak the prison officls trested the oldely
prisonersthesama as the others:
“They et he el e ory otherlamate. The ideo o ony specaltreatment fo th eldery is outthe
door. Prsoni rison. How they run the prison s Inhumane, the samefor veryone. It means you ore
foced wid npefessonal guards. The word elery s out o thei ocabulery. You are a prsoner, plain
and simpe. They trest yu e ony other inmote:” g
RC. 3 57yea0 woman who served four years,added:
“Mostly what 0w were wormen wh come I oged. They come n wheelehars. Theywere expected to
90 everything o5 we weredoing Theydid't gt an specil help o consideraton, othing. 1 hey hod to
90 10 medicalone of the gis rom onthe ter would push them over. They had no e to help thern or
speciol occommodotions” :
MLR, 3 42 ear-old man who spent more than 10 yers i varios prisons, dscrbed how agng poners
face difcites withbunk b
“No matter how old you oe the/I make you get up on the top bunk. You can have an obvioss back
injury and theywill bascaly ke you Jump through hoops o gt any considertion. You basicaty have
o hove recentback surgery and be domaged goods ust o get cpprova or o bottom bunk. A guy ity
o seventy yeors ol has tojump up ond down offth top bunk with o matiress being too sl
GU,» 6-year-okd man who spent 41 years inprison,aso sw apressing need for specil
accommodations:
“The eldery prsonersore usually thrown Inwith the younger prisaners I doutle ok stuations. The
conditions for mast oder men oe terble becous they Iveinth cllswith these young ids. And thse
young kids are 5o disespectful o thse older men. Maryofthem sufe from mestol Bness f s
‘physical sickness (] Clorythere shouldbespeciol housing foralder pisoners. They needspeciol
medicol cor,thy need specol xercses, and they need counseling—all of thing tht re ot provided
i the general popultion o thot g level. Sanfary conditons are horendous because most alger
on'tpraperly clean themseies. They don't cre; they Just put themina cllwithanater persor
45,3 60-year-old man who served 30 years i Northern Stte prson, expressed th same view:
“Thereshoudbe speiol oo for older prsoners. Thre should b on area where they can confce with
€ach ather about heokth sues oxd work amangst each ather. When you get alderyour moveman sy
‘down. Inthe population younge pisoners think older prisaners slow things down ot wark
Impact of poor conditons and long sentences
L5, 3.yeaold man who hasseved 34 years o s sentence urenty nTrenon St pron,
escrived the Impact o ong senten
“They have some astronomkal sentencesintheseprisons.f you gove & 20-yeor-olda sentence of 0 or
70 yeorsyou're tellng them thot they ore goin todienthre. . A o therm did'restze hey woutd
e here thatang. Sometimes I tokes them akong ime toreaize they have o death sentencef they
don'tget thei senténce reduced or their convctons reversed.”
He o150 observed how poor conditions cause prisaners to age faster:
! started secing people beingaffected medically usuallyaroundtheir mid-30s I heve, Bcouse st the
ock of mobilty and the lock of utritiossdie. They buy th lowest cos faod roducts they canfind. 50
fock of nutrtous diet and lockof movement s detimental o everybody young or o, Yo see the effets
ot e it smpant i lood pressure eor deese o thr dicases o abesly 1 €17
cancer” q
60 65-earodman who spent 41 yers i priso,descrioedhe paychlogcs inpac
< oo ot lernpsonyu may o anger ave the suppor of pele who wers there e you 1t
. eopt an family begnto . Youdon'tknow how o devlopreseurce 4 st
e ety e bagas todwinde. ou hysal polh e 0wl [ sc€nbronn 0
ey come ot f e e Teyeve come ot 0 he yrd 0 exrc. Thy e o
onyéhing hotis anstucive orproductive forteir minds, bodies o thelr i
S 75yeavaidmanwho hasspent 4 yexs i pion, coniacted aberclost from poor condion’
1 e down Inareof the ldest port o the o tht wos fested with o3 andtbareat e
ossers i the wal, foor, crocks and crevies, Arund age 400r 5, begantosufer lower back poins
s seate ot e oy remedy westen solght doys ofedes. |- westrnseredioss
e fer sysen's het securty pison o my etrnce physolexom showed tat 1 Infected
with tbealosts”
16, 55 arokdwoman o spent e yers il snd prsons, o desrbed hesocl/famly
Impact:
st wemenwho spenddecades nptson hove n oyl o knowiedge o he curent autie
e e spend e seingtold st oy how o behave ut ehn to ke, sec, €5, mov, where
et bosandwhor o tll with. Tothen epect Someone o 70t uccessfl ronltion bock
ooy e el ordisaste. Thy hove no experenceftnboslc decion meking, nd o
guidance lher befor orofenr they ore released”
Preliminary recommendations for New Jersey*
ased on the testimonies In thsreport, we recommend that New Jersey develop and support laws and
poicies that ensbi thesafe care, custody, and treatment of oder prisoners, and facitate the release of
‘ider pisoners who have completed the mandatory/punltive par of ther sestences. These
Fecommandationsace based on the tstimanies o i reportand ace modeled fter recommendtions.
mad inthe 2015 report, “Aging n Prison” from the Center for Justiceat Columbla Universly.
Specifcaly we recommend the following:
Sentendng
© Amend extendad senténdng laws 10 require th
of ederty prsonars.
During ncarceration
= Eact Bl of Rights speciicatly for eiderly prisoners that ncorparates sandards for sppropriste
conditonsof canfinement, health care, diet, hyglene, recreation, soclakation and family contacts.
+ prohibinthesaatary confinement of iderlyprisoners.
+ Adopt comprehansive geratic assessment tols.
+ Give rsatar weight o age and ity Incassification ks, 5o thatederyprisoners are plced in
prison fcltis;units and sngle or double cels that ace safe and 3pprogeiate o thlr conditon.
+ Desgaste speciic fcities 3nd programs that can accommodateclder risoners with specia needs.
+ Prowde comprehensivetraining toprison staf on gelatric care and restment Jo
esse
- Establsh broade cieta for medica release, medicalransfe, and medical parcl that authorze
thesechanges i status on the bass of mental a3 well 3 physca condivons.
. Establoh specic presumgtion for the parale releaseofeldrlyprisoners, 35000 33 they have
Served the puntive partof thel senences. (5e¢, €., the New York Sae and Fak Evaluation (SWF)
Parole Ac pendin (S01724/A02930), which bars pacle denilon the grounds of the “nature of the
originalcime,”afterthe inimum sentence has been completed)
+ promulgate parole standards that properly balance isk fctors i making paroe elease and *fture
eligbiiy term"(ET) determinatons, by ensuing that ag,low recidvm rates forclder pisonars,
‘and the ength of time since the underlying offense are expictyconsidered; ensure that fied
factors, such a5 the underhing offene, are not gven undue or presumptve weightin the face of the.
dynamicfactors o nsiutionalhistoy; ensore reasonable time rames for prisoners to make:
necessary changes nfactors afecting isk.
= promulgsepideines forreentry lansfor derprsonerstha requre the nvolverment of the
prisonriadevelping th plan, and incude primary community supportfamily and others in
planning with the prsoner’s consent.
= brovdeensisto appropriate communlty-based servca providers, 1o ensure safe vansiions snd
contnutyofcare
oversignt
= Requre hatpison systarms, in coordinatlon wih other human senvice publc gences, meet the
Urited Natins Sandard Minimu Rues for the Treatment of Prisoners.
. Estabiu statevice office, Independent of the Department of orrections, 0 develop and monitor
prisonsandares.
Acknowladgemants
The AFSC prson Watch Program and It drector, Bonnle Kerness, cannt express nough gratitude to
everyone fo thele constant dedication and commitment over the rocess oftis poject. AFSC's Prison
‘Watch proggam hs shways been a team effot ncucing volunteers, students and acthists on bothsides
of the pison wals To those Prison Watch "staff” who were Invlved, thank you including AFSC
Volunteer MaryAnn Cool and AFSC nters Kayla Stepinac, Rachel frome and Keley Winmersholt. The
patience,research, wrktig and gudance ofJehanne Henry wasloving and invalable Without the.
wisdom and mentorship of Jean Ross, this document would nothave florished. A specil thank you for
the encoursgement of Tina Maschiof Fordham, Schoeof acll Sarvic, and Laura Whitehorm and
Mujahid Fad of the New York Chapter of Release Aging PeopleIn Pison Campagn. Fnally, we are most
rateful o the elderly prisoners whose vlces arasuppressed every day and wh rfuse o be sient.
Without thet courageous volces and Insistence that we share them, we o the cutside woukd know
nothing.
AFsc prison wateh
The American Frends Serice Committee (AFSC) s 3 Quaker organisaton tht ncudes peopie of various
Faiths who sre commited o socl Justice, peace and humaritarian sence. Prison Watch s 3 healing
ustice program that challenges th effectveness of many o the conditons of coninement n the US.
prison system
Prisaners nd thelr familesinform our efforts, a3 we work with polcymakers, cosltons, other
advocates and the legal community to change the paradigms of puishment fo e of healing and
transformation thst sesks torestore wholeness 1 ndiiduals and communites We advocate for
aiternatives o Incarceraton, better mechaniams forreintegation afterprison, 304 more humane
condtions of confinement.
We ofer educationsl apportunities for young peopl, incuding acadenic Internships and adocacy
training. We reach theusands of indviduals each year through presentations to fath communites,
niversiies, and others, We lso provide nformationsl esources o tepics such as suriing solftary
confinement, sentence planning, and parcle readines to those ncarcerated, theifales, zad other
advocates
3 prison Watch Pregram
American Friends 89 Market trees, 11 Floor
Service Committee Nevistk, N)07100
Phone: 9736433152
Emat: bkemess@aficorg
Suggested Reading
T Masc, P, Deborah Vila, D, Fel ur, PR (2012).“The High Cost ofthe rnaions A
Prisomer Crl: Wl eig 3 e Comman Deromintor fr Action”The Gerantaogst e ACCess
Tine Masch, George Llboe, s Joane Reesd b Louren Pappacara. (1016) Aaslyss o U Compassinate
o Gorsc st v Aaping 3 Human Rights ramework o Gobal Prison ealth Joural o Human
Rights SocaiWork.
Tine Masch,Lindsay Kainen. (2015}, “Co-Constrcting Community: A Conceptus Map fo Reiting Agig eosle
i Prison it Tnek Faniles and Communies” Trasmatolory
i Masc, Lindsoy Keine, Oeborah Vila. (2015, “Trama, Sures, and Coping Among Odes At b rr:
Tomars s e ghs snd otetganerationsl £ amsy Justice Aclon Agande” Speda s o0 Troums, A, 30
Wl Belog AmaricinPsychlogia Assocition
End notes
St N ighis Wotch, “0d Beindars: To Aging Pl Populton i the Unied Sates” ey 2012,
* e s Oepcmon of Corectons. i sae ousarscionslsgssifence st ied
* Seews ez,
© Seee hiallannpescost.one/~lmedialisets/2018/05/08/mases sgart <, Pecpie who complete
hel setncs e prison without s oty for spervion
* Hurn s watch, i
“See 104N MORTON, U, DEP'TOF USTICE AN ADMINISTRATVE OVERVIEW OF T OLOER INMATE 1, &
(1992 e Holcer & Brry Holma, Norios Cartr on stutions and Axerraies, Aleandia, VA,
IMPRSONIVE SIOERLY OFF ENDERS; MEDICAL CARE AND PHYSICAL EVIRONMENTS AR OF SPECAL CONCERN.
(Dec. 198t 1,4 Wil age ey s s o midceag han o edery, thesocosconamic stk
of accetoreecia ae,and Hescyeof fde ininal may craste tenysar Sfaretia between the bl of
inmatesi e s of Prisonsanc thegerera populaton. 1 Joanne OBryas,
s Aot T Aging Frsoners, cressin Cots, 20 Gt Rbese A 2010,
ot hichivecho/stes/datout e s Sonurioad it sboct ime-apon arsnervincressng:
prem———"r
B edoun, Nore emaes wouds e i for
Advancedafor Kicom
* o s Wate, 5. 72
Rgpts (CCPR),arts. 7 ane 10 emations Coverart on
SR, 1,32, Conventon AgantTorure, . 6; Comention 3 he
Intensicest Conenant on Gl
Econome socaand Cltrs R
Aighs s i Disobities.
Homa g e, 15 5p 4371
" oo romatingrubic
Soley” Nowmser 2015, g RAVHLKX.
5o Reduciog ider incarceraio
P.O. Box 721
Homewood, IL 60430