When people hear the word inmate, they usually think of a young minority male. In the past minorities between the ages of 18 and 27 made up half of the inmate population in America. America's prison population has traditionally been young and poor, but in recent years it has been aging (Clear & Cole, 2000). In 1997 American prisons held 37,342 offenders over the age of 55, a more than 50% increase in the elderly population of three years prior (Clear & Cole, 2000). .
Prison inmates who are aged 51 and beyond will make up 33% of the total prison population by the year 2010 (Neeley, 1997).
The elderly prison population can be divided into three groups. First there are the elderly offenders who committed a serious crime when they were younger and were put into prison facing a long-term sentence. This group makes up the majority of elderly inmates. Their crimes include, among others, brutal sexual assault and murder. An inmate who has grown old in prison is the least volatile in daily interactions. He has had meaningful activities and a work history while in prison. Next there are a few inmates who enter prison for the first time at an elderly age. This is a very small percent of elderly inmates. They are usually convicted of financial crimes such as embezzlement or tax evasion. Their crimes also include child molestation or pedophilia. These first offenders have a volatile personality that poses a risk for suicide, violence against other inmates and poor mental health. Such an inmate would benefit from living in a segregated setting with other older inmates. Then there are the repeat offenders. These are people who have been in and out of prison their entire lives. Now they are serving a sentence in their elderly years. Their crimes vary from shoplifting to driving while intoxicated. (Williams, 1999). .
America's increased elderly inmate population is due to two major reasons. First the United States" general population is aging.