An increasing number of Americans have been imprisoned for longer and longer sentences over the past several decades, due to the government’s so-called “War on Drugs” and politicians who appeal to voters by calling for “tough on crime” policies.
These forces that have led to mass incarceration in the U.S. that’s resulted in a prison population that’s now older. Three in every four people who were released from state prisons from 1991 and 2021, more than 12 million people, are over the age of 50 today. Two recent studies measure the negative health and longevity impacts of long-term incarceration later in life.
Between The Lines’ Melinda Tuhus spoke with Wanda Bertram, communications strategist with the Prison Policy Initiative. Here she talks about the studies and the recommendations her organization is making to address the problem.
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