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Aging Population in Jails and Prisons

Data analysis and visuals for NYCC 2.17.23 'Aging Population in Jails and Prisons' hearing.

An associated webpage for this analysis can be found on the council website:

Data Sources

Summary & Intention

The incarceration rate for older adults has surged in recent decades. From 1999 to 2016, the number of people 55 and older in state or federal prisons increased 280 percent.

In New York State prisons, despite an overall decline in the prison population, the proportion on older adults in the system has been rising steadily. Right now, in New York State prisons, approximately 8,000 individuals are 50+. This amounts to one in every four incarcerated people being an older adult, an increase from 12 percent of the prison population in 2008.

The data team analyzed city and state inmate data in order to:

  • Analyze the aging population within city and state jails
  • Analyze the aging population that is being released from city and state jails
  • Better understand recidivism rates among the aging poplation in city/state jails

There is no consensus on what constitutes an older adult with respect to the justice-involved population. While in community settings, the age of 65 is considered the “geriatric” threshold, researchers and policymakers often use 50 or 55 as the cut-off for justice-involved individuals.

Main Takeaways

  • Over the past decade, the Data Operations Unit estimated that between 800 – 1,100 people 50+ have returned to NYC after serving time in NYS DOCC custody.
  • The percentage of people 50+ under DOCC custody has grown from roughly 15% in 2011 to around 23% in 2021 and is trending upwards.
  • People 50+ who return within 3 years after release have the second lowest rate of return to incarceration compared to the other age groups. Most returns, documented 3 years after initial release date, are due to parole violations.

Recommendations

To address the re-entry issues among the aging population, the Committee on Criminal Justice will be introducing the following bills to amend the New York City Charter and the administrative code of the City of New York in relation to:

Methodolgy/Scripts

Describe the intricacies, issues, and regrouping of the data performed for each data set, link this to each script