Aging in Prison/RAPP in the Press

Articles on Aging in Prison

Articles about elders in prison and the dangerous & wasteful policies that keep them there

“Geriatric Parole Should Be Considered in Louisiana”
August 3, 2017: Elain Ellerbe, Right on Crime

“Why does the government want to keep elderly prisoners locked up on the taxpayer’s dime?
August 3, 2017: Bonnie Kristian, Rare

“Congress Wants to Know Why the BOP Won’t Let Elderly Prisoners Go Home to Die”
July 28, 2017: Mike Riggs, Reason

“‘Release Aging People in Prison’ Comes to Harrisburg”
July 18, 2017: Christopher Clymer Kurtz, The Takeaway, WMRA

“Arizona State Prison Inmate: ‘We Are Not Being Treated As Human Beings”
July 14, 2017: Jimmie Jenkins, KJZZ

“Mass Incarceration: Prisoners of Time”
July 13, 2017: Ted Gest, The Crime Report

“Law change helps older inmate get parole”
July 9, 2017: Jimmie E. Gates, The Clarion-Ledger

“Florida agrees to make prisons more accessible for inmates with disabilities”
July 8, 2017: Elizabeth Koh, The Miami Herald

“For a few Louisiana lifers, a new chance at parole”
July 6, 2017: Julia O’Donoghue, The Times-Picayune

“Report details Department of Corrections population, budget, and operational crisis”
June 28, 2017: Heide Brandes, Red Dirt Report

“Corrections Chief: Oklahoma Lucky to Avoid Major Prison Riot”
June 27, 2017: Associated Press, U.S. News

RAPP on On the Count • Dave George & Mujahid Farid discuss changes to the parole board (audio)
June 24, 2017: Steve “Humble” Mangual, WBAI-FM

“Solutions remain elusive as elderly prisoners grow in number”
June 24, 2017: Miranda Moore, The Missourian

“Activists want to limit solitary confinement, change parole board”
June 13, 2017: Rick Karlin, Albany TimesUnion

“Supreme Court weighs in on opportunities for teens sentenced to life in prison”
June 12, 2017: Ryan Lovelace, The Washington Examiner

“Aging Alone: Uncovering the Risk of Solitary Confinement for People Over 45”
June 12, 2017: Lucius Couloute, Solitary Watch

“For a growing share of Louisiana’s inmates, only chance for release lies with the governor—or the grave”
June 11, 2017: Bryan Stole, The Advocate

“Letter to the Editor: Allow senior lifers to petition for parole review”
May 26, 2017: James Inge, The Reporter

“Oklahoma House OKs bill on parole for decrepit inmates”
May 24, 2017: Randy Ellis, The Oklahoman

“Facing old age behind bars: Photos illustrate aging inmates’ challenges”
May 22, 2017: Vincent Lim, USC News

“How to cut corrections”
May 19, 2017: Jack Lessenberry, Michigan Radio

“Bill allowing release of elderly prisoners goes to governor”
May 18, 2017: Cy Ryan, Las Vegas Sun

“After 50 years in prison, a second second chance”
May 18, 2017: Neal Rubin, The Detroit News

“N.Y. must lift punitive practices of state’s parole board”
May 9, 2017: Mujahid Farid, Commentary, Times Union

“Aging Prisoners and the Law of Parole” (Audio)
May 8, 2017: RAPP on Law & Disorder Radio

“From Primary Care To Hospice: Treating Aging Inmates and Ex-Offenders”
May 8, 2017: Jeff Tyson and Lucy Nalpathanchil, WNPR

“Poll: Time spent in prison increases fears about retirement”
May 4, 2017: Maria Ines Zamudio, Associated Press

“Missouri House shoots down attempt to give elderly lifers chance at parole”
May 3, 2017: Austin Huguelet, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Connecticut ‘model’ nursing home for paroled inmates to get federal funds”
April 26, 2017: Adam Wisnieski, New Haven Register

“Virginia Questions Whether to Release Older Prisoners”
April 24, 2017: Peter Dujardin, The Daily Press

“EDITORIAL: Bill would allow the release of some elderly prisoners”
April 22, 2017: Editorial board, Las Vegas Review-Journal

“New York’s Increase in Elderly Prisoners Sparks Debate on Parole”
April 21, 2017: Sarah Gibson, Uptown Radio (audio and transcript)

“California’s death row turning into home for seniors”
April 21, 2017: Phillip Reese, The Sacramento Bee

“In February, 51 Parole Denials, Zero Grants”
April 19, 2017: Harvey Yoder, Harvspot

“How the Bureau of Prisons locked down ‘compassionate release'”
April 18, 2017: Mary Price, Learn Liberty

“Tulsa World editorial: State considers special parole docket for aging prisoners”
April 14, 2017: World’s editorial writers, Tulsa World

“Health care falls short for aging inmates—BOP seeks better data”
April 14, 2017: Christopher Zoukis, Blogcritics Magazine

“Jails for the Sick and Elderly”
April 13, 2017: Gretchen Schuldt, Urban Milwaukee

“Are prison medical costs too expensive?”
April 11, 2017: Gary York, CorrectionsOne.com

“Increase in Older Inmates Challenges NY Prison System”
April 7, 2017: Office of the State Comptroller, Lansing Star

“Bill would allow elderly life without parole inmates a hearing on release”
April 7, 2017: Jason Taylor, Missourinet

“Inmates are dying to get out of Louisiana prisons. Time to change?”
April 7, 2017: Tim Morris, The NOLA Times-Picayune

“New York prisons see jump in older inmates”
April 6, 2017: Joe Mahoney, Press Republican

“When a man goes to prison, his children’s health suffers, too, study finds”
April 6, 2017: Max Blau, Stat

“Report: New York’s prison inmates getting older, health care costs rising”
April 5, 2017: Robert Harding, The Auburn Citizen

“Statement from A.G. Schneiderman on Comptroller Dinapoli’s ‘New York State’s Aging Prison Population’ Report”
April 4, 2017: Office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

“[NYS Comptroller] DiNapoli: Increase in Older Inmates Challenges New York’s Prison System”
April 4, 2017: News from the Office of the State Comptroller

“Angola is not only a prison, but a very expensive nursing home”
April 4, 2017: Mark Schindler and Barry Holman, The NOLA Times-Picayune

“‘Geriatric parole’ ought to be an option in Louisiana: Editorial”
April 2, 2017: The Times-Picayune Editorial Board

“Florida can reduce prison population”
March 29, 2017: Raymer Maguire and Scott McCoy, Miami Herald op-ed

“How long should Louisiana keep old, ill criminals in prison?”
March 22, 2017: Julia O’Donoghue, The Times-Picayune

“Vermont Inmate No. 144711 Is a 90-Year-Old Veteran”
March 22, 2017: Mark Davis, Seven Days

“Federal prisons look to improve health care for aging population”
March 20, 2017: Evan Fallor, Fedscoop

“Ill, elderly prisoners cost Fla. taxpayers more than $200M a year”
March 15, 2017: Dave Elias, NBC2

“Throwing Away the Key”
March 8, 2017: Jeff Proctor, Santa Fe Reporter

“What to do when aging prisoners are released?”
March 4, 2017: Claire Levy, The Denver Post

“RAPP/Release Aging People in Prison Fights for the Rights of Older Inmates”
February 21, 2017: BK Stories, BRIC TV (video)

“Muncy state prison’s lady lifers talk of redemption”
February 16, 2017: Helen Ubinas, Philadelphia Inquirer

“This summer, O.J. Simpson is up for parole. How good are his chances of getting out of prison?”
February 14, 2017: Michael McCann and Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated

“Maryland should make parole a meaningful part of sentencing again”
February 13, 2017: Nazgol Ghandnoosh, The Washington Post

“Aging sex offenders have nowhere to go, Iowa prison director says”
February 13, 2017: Erin Jordan, The Gazette

“Everything You Think You Know About Mass Incarceration is Wrong”
February 9, 2017: Eli Hager and Bill Keller, The Marshall Project

“What we get wrong about mass imprisonment in America”
February 8, 2017: Keith Humphreys, The Washington Post

“Life Sentences Are Slow Death Behind the Walls”
February 7, 2017: Kim Brown, The Real News

“Beyond the Bars of Hopelessness: How We Can Revive Parole”
February 4, 2017: Jean Trounstine, Truthout

“Bill Fixes Costly Elderly Prisoners Problem”
February 4, 2017: Nancy Smith, Sunshine State News

“Medical costs growing for Oklahoma’s aging prisoners”
January 28, 2017: Janelle Stecklein, The Pryor Creek, Oklahoma Times

“Reuniting an Aging Prison Population With Their Communities”
January 27, 2017: Marie Bonner interviews Dr. Tina Maschi, APA Journals Dialogue

“Four Sound Ways to Reduce Incarceration”
January 27, 2017: Harvey Yoder, Harvspot

“Reuniting an Aging Prison Population With Their Communities”
January 27, 2017: Marie Bonner interviews Dr. Tina Maschi, APA Journals Dialogue

“Texas: For Elderly Inmates, There’s More Than One Way to Die on Death Row”
January 24, 2017: Joy Diaz, KUT.org

“I am my brother’s keeper”
January 20, 2017: Steven Frasier, guest columnist, Fort Madison Daily Democrat

“Children Sentenced to Life: A Struggle for the N.Y. Board of Parole” (Read as PDF)
January 12, 2017: Issa Kohler-Hausmann, Avery P. Gilbert, and Christopher Seeds, New York Law Journal

“Politics & Prejudices: Prison and the mentally ill”
January 11, 2017: Jack Lessenberry, Detroit Metro Times

“Feds OK Nursing Home for Infirm, Elderly Parolees”
January 9, 2017: Katti Gray, The Crime Report

“Pennsylvania’s oldest female inmate—in prison for a 1971 Society Hill murder—dies at age 91”
January 6, 2017: Tommy Rowan, The Inquirer

“Why Keep the Old and Sick Behind Bars?”
January 3, 2017: The Editorial Board, the New York Times

“‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’: Texas judge orders count of heat-related prison deaths”
December 30, 2016: RT360

“Sick inmates costing St. Joseph County more in 2016”
December 29, 2016: Suzanne Spencer, WSBT22 (Indiana)

“The Case for Clemency”
December 28, 2016:  Erroll Lewis, Inside City Hall, NY1 Online (with Hawk Newsome, Alan Roskoff, and Kathryn Erbe; 10-minutes video)

“Reducing Prison population only way to save significant cash”
December 28, 2016: Mike Vasilinda, Capitol News Service (FL)

“New study shows Oklahoma prisons among the most dangerous”
December 28, 2016: Sean Murphy, Associated Press/The Daily Progress

“At Angola Prison, Getting Sick Can Be a Death Sentence”
December 20, 2016: Katie Rose Quandt & James Ridgeway, In These Times

“More Prisoners Die of Old Age Behind Bars”
December 15, 2016: Melissa Bailey, Kaiser Health News

“Parole Reform Groups Say Proposed New Rules Don’t Go Far Enough”
December 13, 2016: Joel Stashenko, New York Law Journal

“Parole recommended for aging prisoners”
December 12, 2016: Jimmie E. Gates, The Clarion Ledger

“It’s Time for President Obama to Grant Clemency to Leonard Peltier”
December 9, 2016: Martin Garbus, The Nation

“President Obama’s Last Chance to Show Mercy”
December 6, 2016: Editorial Board, The New York Times

“New York photographer points lens at aging Maine inmates”
December 6, 2016: Julia Bayly, Bangor Daily News

“Governor Cuomo Orders Investigation of Racial Bias in New York State Prison System,” with comment by RAPP’s Mujahid Farid
December 5, 2016: Michael Schwirtz, Michael Winerip, Robert Gebeloff, The New York Times

“For Blacks Facing Parole in New York State, Signs of a Broken System”
December 4, 2016: Michael Winerip, Michael Schwirtz, Robert Gebeloff, The New York Times

“Missouri seeks way to cut cost of burying prisoners”
November 27, 2016: Kurt Erickson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Retirement Age: Elderly inmate wants to retire from prison job”
November 26, 2016: Frank Difiore, The Malone Telegram

“Cuomo’s Commitment to Clemency Tested in 3 Murder Cases”
November 23, 2016: Jim Dwyer, The New York Times

“Editorial: Compassion for Sal diMasi—and for other inmates”
November 22, 2016:The Metro-West Daily News

“Unfit for Incarceration: Taking Stock of Punishment’s Inhumanity”
November 21, 2016: Ken Strutin, New York Law Journal

“NY Parole Board Regulations Should Focus Primarily on Risk and Needs Assessments”
November 18, 2016: Eddie Conway/Rattling the Bars, The Real News (video)

“America’s Aging—and Mentally At-Risk—Prisoners”
November 7, 2016: Katti Gray, The Crime Report

“Older Women Leaving Prison ‘Less Likely to Return to Crime'”
November 3, 2016: TCR Staff, The Crime Report

“Home from Prison After 36 Years”
November 1, 2016: Mark Vigil, LA Progressive

“Hospital bills add up with Nebraska’s aging prison populations”
November 1, 2016: Brian Mastre, WPWT News

“Older adults more likely to be imprisoned, data show”
October 31, 2016: Keith Humphreys, The Washington Post

“Juvenile lifer, 79, rejects deal for parole. ‘His view is, he’s been in long enough.'”
October 28, 2016: Samantha Melamed, the Philadelphia Inquirer

“Debate: Should Older, Sick Prisoners Be Released for Compassionate Reasons?” (audio)
October 28, 2016: National Public Radio

“Merciless End…” (article on John MacKenzie’s death)
October 28, 2016: Joe Goldsteain, the New York Times

“Three prison reform ideas drawing bipartisan support”
October 19, 2016: Bill McGraw, Bridge Magazine

“‘I’m no threat’ – will Obama pardon one of the world’s longest-serving political prisoners?”
October 16, 2016: Ed Pilkington, the Guardian

“Cuomo’s scant use of clemency short-circuits justice”
October 6, 2016: Laura Whitehorn, The Journal News (lohud.com opinion)

“‘The System Abuses Us By Locking Us up Forever’: Aging Survivors Behind Bars”
October 4, 2016: Victoria Law, Truthout

“Release Aging People in Prison”
September 19, 2016: Troy Griffith of Politics on My Mind interviews Mujahid Farid (audio)

“False Hope and a Needless Death Behind Bars”
September 6, 2016: Jesse Wegman, The New York Times

“Jailing Old Folks Makes No Sense”
August 30, 2016: Geraldine Downey and Frances Négron-Muntaner, The New York Times

“In Memory of John MacKenzie: RAPP on On the Count”
August 20, 2016: WBAI-FM

“Denied Parole 10 Times, John MacKenzie Found Dead in Cell After 41 Years in Prison”
August 15, 2016: Michael Smith and Heidi Boghosian interview Kathy Manley on Law and Disorder Radio, WBAI (audio)

“Doing Double Time: Chronic Diseases a Chronic Problem in Prisons”
August 13, 2016: Jessica Firger, Newsweek

“Part 2: Calls Grow for NY Gov Cuomo to Reform Parole Board That Denies Eligible Prisoners”
August 11, 2016: Web Exclusive, democracynow.org

“A Haunting Look at the Inmates Who Grow Old in Prison”
August 10, 2016: Jessica Earnshaw, National Geographic

“Aging Prisoner’s Suicide Roils Parole Debate”
August 10, 2016: Renée Feltz, The Indypendent

“After Being Denied Parole 10 Times, Elderly Prisoner Allegedly Commits Suicide in Upstate Prison”
August 10, 2016: Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez and Renée Feltz, Democracy Now and democracynow.org

“Suicide of 70-Year-Old John MacKenzie After Tenth Parole Denial Illustrates Broken Parole System”
August 9, 2016: Victoria Law, The Village Voice

“Elderly and locked up: Stresses of recidivism”
August 7, 2016: Carolyn Guniss, Compton Herald (reprinted from the Miami Times)

“John MacKenzie: Parole Justice on Capital Tonight”
August 8, 2016: Liz Benjamin, Capital Tonight, Time Warner Cable News, Albany

“New York’s Parole System in Need of Repair”
August 1, 2016: Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP, Prison Legal News

“Aging People in Prison Face Continuing Denial of Compassionate Release”
July 26, 2016: Victoria Law, Truthout

“Prosecutor: No sentencing break for Michigan’s oldest juvenile lifer”
July 23, 2016: Associated Press

“The aging prison population”
July 18, 2016: Alex Hegenbarth, Liberal Democratic Voice (UK)

“Black, old and locked up”
July 13, 2016: Carolyn Guniss, The Miami Times

“HIV Advocates Turn to Parole Reform, Seeking Release of Aging Prisoners”
July 12, 2016: Victoria Law, TheBody.com

“‘Death Came Every Week:’ How Prisoners Overcame Early HIV/AIDS Stigma Through Community Education”
July 12, 2016: Victoria Law, TheBody.com

“Boomers behind bars”
July 8, 2016: Joseph A. Slobodzian, The Inquirer

“Spike in geriatric inmate population costs Ohio millions”
July 7, 2016: John Caniglia, The Plain Dealer

“Ohio’s prison hospice offers dignity to dying felons,”
July 7, 2016: John Caniglia, The Plain Dealer

“On the Count”
July 2, 2016: Mujahid Farid, René Valdez, Donna Hylton, Steven Humble Mangual talk RAPP, WBAI 99.5 FM (audio)

“If the Risk is Low, Let Them Go”
June 29, 2016: Renee Feltz, the Indypendent

“The Prisoners at Guantanamo Are Getting Old and So Is the Medical Equipment”
June 22, 2016: John Knefel, Inverse

“Aging, Sick and Incarcerated: The Need for Compassionate Release”
June 18, 2016: Victoria Law, Truthout

“Elderly, disabled inmates at Pack Unit included in ‘cruel and unusual’ heat case”
June 15, 2016: Gabrielle Banks, chron.com

“A Challenge to New York’s Broken Parole Board”
June 13, 2016: the Editorial Board, The New York Times

“Lesbian Inmate Moved to Prison Near Erie”
June 9, 2016: Tim Cwiek, Philadelphia Gay News

“Maine Voices: Alternative confinement should be expanded for aging, ailing prisoners”
June 6, 2016: Irving Faunce, Portland Press Herald

“Sentencing schemes result in longer sentences for aging offenders”
June 4, 2016: Matthew Mangino, Morton Times-News

“Prisoner: Save money, release older inmates”
May 31, 2016: Roy A. Borges, Orlando Sentinel

“The Prison Population We Should Talk About Releasing”
May 22, 2016: Danielle DeCourcey, attn.com

“Life Without Parole”
May 22, 2016: Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project

“Are Older People Getting Harsher Sentences? Take Our Quiz to Find Out”
May 19, 2016: Emily Hopkins, The Marshall Project

“Compassionate release twice rejected for dying inmate”
May 16, 2016: Alan Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch

“The Women at Bedford Prison Writing Their Own History”
May 12, 2016: Radhika Balakrishnan, huffingtonpost.com

“Is the Doctor In? Why Leonard Peltier and Other Aging Prisoners Lack Adequate Health Care”
May 7, 2016: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, Truthout

“Politics & Prejudices: The politics of prison reform”
May 4, 2016: Jack Lessenberry, Detroit Metro Times

“Lessenberry: Michigan’s wheelchair prison population”
May 3, 2016: Jack Lessenberry, The Windsor Star

“Crowded Prisons, Rare Parole: A Five Part Series/Part One: Virginia Has Lowest Parole Rate in the Nation”
May 2, 2016: Sandy Hausman, WVTF

“During National Reentry Week, a Spotlight on Older Returning Citizens”
April 29, 2016: Kanya D’Almeida, Rewire

“These States Have the Most Prison Deaths”
April 26, 2016: Alex Greer, SFgate

“Oklahoma’s aging inmates dying behind bars”
April 24, 2016: Andrew Knittle, The Oklahoman

“Oldest inmate in center spends years in Nebraska prison”
April 23, 2016: SFgate

“Michigan’s prison system must undergo comprehensive reform”
April 22, 2016: Jack Lessenberry, Toledo Blade

“These days, NC’s death row inmates die of natural causes”
April 22, 2016: Richard Stradling, The News Observer

“Why Mass Incarceration Doesn’t Pay”
April 21, 2016: Jason Furman and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, New York Times

“Bill to change parole eligibility for Alaska inmates moves to House”
April 20, 2016: Mallory Peebles, ktuu.com/KTUU-TV

“Dispatches: U.S. Coming to Grips on Prison Sentencing”
April 19, 2016: Antonio Ginatta, Human Rights Watch

“U.S. Sentencing Commission Approves Significant Changes to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines” (Including compassionate release)
April 15, 2016: Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, United States Sentencing Commission

“Letter: Aging prisoners a taxpayer burden”
April 14, 2016: Joyce Hackett Smith-Moore, auburnpub.com

“Dying in Prison: Michigan Juvenile Lifers Get New Hope…”
April 12, 2016: Diane Bukowski, Voice of Detroit

“Debate Over Prison Population Turns to the States”
April 12, 2016: Peter Eavis, New York Times

“Maryland lawmakers agree on how to reform criminal justice system”
April 9, 2016: Pamela Wood, the Baltimore Sun

“Dying in Prison & Morality”
April 4, 2016: John Kiroakou, Manteca Bulletin (CA)

“Debate over Maryland criminal justice bill heads to House of Delegates”
March 26, 2016: Ovetta Wiggins, The Washington Post

“Prison reform gaining momentum: It’s fiscally conservative”
March 24, 2016: Mark Steil, Minnesota Public Radio via AP

“A Life (Without Parole) Story”
March 21, 2016: David J. Krajicek, thecrimereport.org

“Bill would allow early release of aging inmates”
March 20, 2016: Dave Gram, Burlington Free Press
(also printed in The Washington Times)

“Bill to ease sentencing for drug offenders advances in MD senate”
March 18, 2016: Ovetta Wiggins and John Hicks, Washington Post

“Despite Rhetoric of Criminal Justice Reform, Benefits Are Slow to Come for Those Aging in Prisons in New York State”
March 17, 2016: Nick Malinowski, Huffington Post

“Elderly Inmates Burden State Prisons”
March 17, 2016: Michael Ollove, The Pew Charitable Trusts

“Criminal justice policy should balance the interests of the whole community”
March 16, 2016: Meg McCarthy, the [Vermont] Commons Online

“Many Remembered, Some Forgotten: In Delta cemetery, inmates’ bodies lie”
March 13, 2016: Jeannie Roberts, arksansas online

“US panel weighs changes to program for aging, ailing inmates”
March 10, 2016: Eric Tucker, Associated Press

“Keeping rehabilitated inmates behind bars makes a mockery of America’s so-called ‘justice’ system”
March 9, 2016: Keri Blakinger, Quartz

“Older people in prison, the NY State parole board and the police” (audio)
March 3, 2016: Susan Arbetter  interviews Attorney Robert J. Boyle, The Capitol Pressroom, WCNY.org

“Older prison inmates run up state health costs”
March 1, 2016: Joshua Bender, Capital News Service, (Michigan) Record & Clarion

“Criminal justice reform could transform Michigan”
February 29, 2016: Kary L. Moss, The Detroit News

“Life—It’s Worth a Second Look”
February 25, 2016: Daniel J. Wright, jurist.org

“The Purgatory of Prison: Life With(out) the Possibility of Parole”
February 23, 2016: Eddie Conway, Rattling the Bars on therealnews.com

“More Than 130 Maryland Lifers Adjust to Freedom After Court Ruling”
(Note: not one returns to prison)
and: “From a Life Term to Life on the Outside”
February 17 and 18, 2016: Robert Siegel, All Things Considered (npr.org)

“Prison-Release Program Debated in Hearing”
February 17, 2016: Tim Ryan, Courthouse News

“What Dying Looks Like in America’s Prisons”
February 16, 2016: Ann Neumann, the Atlantic

“No Place for Old Men”
February 15, 2016: Dick J. Reavis, Texas Observer

“An unjust lockdown on paroles”
February 11, 2016: Lumumba Bandele & Eve Rosahn, Albany Times Union

“Days before release hearing, ‘model’ 94-year-old inmate dies in N.C.”
February 5, 2016: Ken Stone, mynewsla.com

“Inmate’s death leaves lessons for U.S. ‘justice’ system”
February 3, 2016: Nat Hentoff, Nick Hentoff, cato.org

“Dying in Prison for Love of Family”
January 27, 2016: Nat Hentoff, Nick Hentoff, cato.org

“Board Drags Its Feet on COMPAS”
January 21, 2016: Robert Boyle, Rukia Lumumba, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, Eve Rosahn, Susan Tipograph, Michael Warren, New York Law Journal

“A Slow, Lonely Death in Prison”
January 20, 2016: Nat Hentoff, Nick Hentoff, cato.org

“When Dying Alone in Prison is Too Harsh a Sentence”
December 28, 2015: Rachael Bedard, The New York Times

“Lawmakers Consider Options for Aging Prisoners, Including Nursing Home Care”
December 27, 2015: Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org

“Release Aging People in Prison Campaign”
December 7, 2015: Law & Disorder Radio (audio)

“My Life After 44 Years in Prison”
November 2015: AlJazeera.com

“New Report Highlights Growing Number of Aging People in Prison”
November 20, 2015: Kanya d’Almeida, RH Reality Check

“Tufts Amnesty International Hosts Discussion of Solitary Confinement”
featuring RAPP’s Al-Tony Simon
November 17, 2915: Robert Katz, Tufts Daily

Center for Justice at Columbia University issues report (with RAPP & others) on Aging in Prison: Reducing Elder Incarceration & Promoting Public Safety
November 12, 2015: Center for Justice at Columbia University

“Obama Calls on Congress to ‘Ban the Box’ on Criminal Records”
November 3, 2015: Kanya D’Almeida, RH Reality Check

“Lawyer: Release seniors convicted of sex crimes, murder”
October 29, 2015: April Burbank, Burlington Free Press

“McCaskill questions Bureau of Prisons about pilot program for non-violent, elderly prisoners”
October 28, 2015: Press Office of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, Pulaski County Daily

“When Aging Out is No Option”
October 27, 2015: John Kennedy, PE (Pentecostal Evangel) News

“I Went to Prison at Age 60. Here’s What I Learned”
October 15, 2015: Evie Litvok, The Nation

Aging in prison: The Gilchrist Experience, MNN-TV (filmed 10/14/15)

RAPP on Both Sides of the Bars: Aging Inside: The Fortune Society on MNN-TV (filmed 9/17/15)

Watch RAPP at the International Action Center: Al Tony Simon & Anita Rosenblithe

“Mt. Kisco rally demands Cuomo grant clemency to more prisoners”
September 26, 2015: Michael D’Onofrio, The Journal News

“A Chance to Fix Parole in New York”
September 3, 2015: Editorial Board, The New York Times

RAPP on MNN-TV
August 26, 2015: The Gilchrist Experience

“Do You Age Faster in Prison?”
August 24, 2015: Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project

“Can a Federal Prisoner Be Too Old to Jail?”
August 17, 2015: Lisa Peng, National Journal

“Beyond Innocence: US Political Prisoners and the Fight Against Mass Incarceration”
July 24, 2015: Dan Berger, Truthout
(Includes section, “Aging in Prison”)

“Federal prison reform: Who is too old for incarceration?”
July 24, 2015: Abigail Flynn, Urban Wire

“Life Without Parole”
July 10, 2015: Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project

“Elderly people in prison present little risk, but staggering costs”
July 6, 2015: Ashley Demyan, vera.org

“Set free, senior convicts struggle to re-enter society”
July 6, 2015: Melissa May & Michael Okwu, Aljazeera America

“RAPP Aims to Get the Elderly Out of Prison”
June 26, 2015: Tess McRae, QueensPress.com

“What’s Behind New York State’s Elderly Prison Boom?”
June 29, 2015: Rachel Gandy, Prison Policy Initiative

“How to Lock Up Fewer People”
May 23, 2015: Marc Mauer and David Cole, The New York Times

“Ohio Has Growing Problem With Aging Prisoners”
May 17, 2015: Matthew T. Mangino, Vindy.com

“Nursing Homes With Bars: Aging Prisoners Are a Problem in USA. Expert Jamie Fellner Explains”
May 14, 2015: Cecil Caulkins, Legal Broadcast Network

“Federal Prisons Are Failing Aging Inmates, Justice Department Says”
May 6, 2015: Sam Levine, Huffington Post

“The Painful Price of Aging in Prison”
May 2, 2015: Sari Horowitz, The Washington Post

“Tortured, Jailed Black Seniors Released—But Denied Social Security After Life in Prison”
April 24, 2015: Frederick Lowe, New American Media

“American Outcasts: US Prisons and Modern Day Banishment”
April 23, 2015: James Ridgeway, The Intercept

“Crime and Age: The Gap Between What Science Shows and How Prisons Operate”
April 12, 2015: Abolish Prisons

“The Elderly Prison Population Is Soaring, and So Are Its Costs”
April 2, 2015: Lauren Kirchner, Pacific Standard
(Note RAPP slogan at end of article)

“Too Old to Commit Crime?”
March 20, 2015: Dana Goldstein, New York Times

“Missouri lawmaker wants certain geriatric offenders out of prison”
March 18, 2015: Jesse Bogan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“4% Recidivism Rate”
March 9, 2015: Bradley Schwartz, PrisonPath

“Address the Graying of Prisons”
March 5, 2015: Elizabeth Gaynes & Brian Fischer, timesunion.com
Note: With RAPP, Gaynes and Fischer are leading members of the Aging Reentry Task Force

“Three Tips for Addressing the Elderly Prison Population”
March 2, 2015: emissourian.com
Note: RAPP adds a fourth tip: If the Risk is Low, Let Them Go!

“Out of Prison, And Staying Out, After Third Strike in California”
February 26, 2015: Erik Eckholm, New York Times

“Illinois’ prison fix requires action, not a commission”
February 17, 2015: David A. Shapiro, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Aging Inmates: A Prison Crisis”
February 15, 2015: Valeriya Metla, Law Street

“A Moral Imperative: Release Aging and Long-Term Prisoners”
February 10, 2015: Jean Trounstine, Truthout

“Ever More US Prisoners Growing Old Behind Bars”
February 9, 2015: Jamie Fellner, Human Rights Watch Dispatches

Mujahid Farid talks RAPP on Eldridge & Co
January 28, 2015: Ronnie M. Eldridge, CUNY-TV

“Old Age in the Big House”
January 6, 2015: Steve Friess, Aljazeera America

“Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP: Challenging the Punishment Paradigm”
December 10, 2014: Mujahid Farid and Laura Whitehorn: The Roots of Mass Incarceration: Locking Up Black Dissidents and Punishing the Poor/Socialism and Democracy special issue

“Ex-Prisoners Are Committing Fewer Crimes That Land Them Back in Jail, Authorities Say”
December 3, 2014: Jon Campbell, The Village Voice

Mujahid Farid on elders and youth behind bars (mp3), with Vanessa McKinney
November 19, 2014: Professor Ricky Jones: Unlocked, Radio WHCR 90.3 fm

“Clemency for Silver-Haired Cons is a Golden Cost-Saver”
November 5, 2014: Editorial, Orlando Sentinel

“DC’s Forgotten Residents”
November 2, 2014: A Voice From the Inside

“By 2030, American Prisons Will Be Filled With Grandmas and Grandpas”
October 27, 2014: Kate Cox, The Nation

“Nursing Homes Behind Bars”
September 28, 2014: Editorial Board, New York Times

“You’re Old & Finally Out of Prison. What Happens Now?”
September 18, 2014: Victoria Law, The Gothamist

“Even Model NYS Inmates Face Steep Barriers to Parole”
September 17, 2014: Bill Hughes, City Limits

“Mohaman Koti, 87-Year-Old Prison Inmate, Granted Parole After 37 Years”
September 16, 2014: Albert Samaha, The Village Voice

“What’s Wrong With This Picture? Elderly People in NY’s Prisons”
September 12, 2014: Peter Wagner, Prison Policy Initiative

“Begging Cuomo for Clemency”
September 12, 2014: Editorial Board, The Bedford/Pound Ridge Record Review

“On Primary Eve, Cuomo Pressed at Home on Prisoner Clemency”
September 7, 2014: Nathan Riley, Gay City News
(Note: Laura Whitehorn, quoted in the article, spoke as representative of RAPP)

“Candle Light Vigil Near Gov. Cuomo’s Home Calls Attention to Clemency”
September 6, 2014: Fios 1 News (video)

“At Conference, Experts Examine Incarceration as a Public Health Issue”
June 6, 2014: Gwen McClure, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange

Prison Voices: Mujahid Farid, Jamie Fellner, Mark Mauer, Edward Hammock (audio)
April 10, 2014: Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Wave Farm/WGXC-Hudson

RAPP’s Fight for “Basic Fairness and Decency”
April 9, 2014: Nation Inside

Organization Aims to Get Elderly Prisoners Who Have Served Sentences Released (video)
March 2, 2014: Cheryl Wills, NY1 News

U.S. Prison System Resembling Huge Geriatrics Ward
Feb. 26, 2014: Kanya d’Almeida, Inter Press Service

New York’s Broken Parole System (onsite version)
Feb. 16, 2014: Editorial Board, New York Times

“If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go”: Efforts to Resolve the Growing Numbers of Aging Behind Bars
Jan. 19, 2014: Victoria Law, Truthout

Discussion between host Jim Vrettos (Host, The Rebbe… Radio Show), Soffiyah Elijah (E.D., Correctional Ass’n of New York) and Mujahid Farid (Director of RAPP)
Jan. 6, 2014: The Rebbe, The Radical, And The Rev Radio Show

Calls Grow to Release Aging People from Prison Who Pose No Public Safety Threat
Dec. 23, 2013, Part 2: Democracy Now!
Text & video interview with Amy Goodman (Host, Democracy Now!); Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director, Correctional Association of New York; Mujahid Farid, Director of RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison)

“If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go”: Elderly Prison Population Skyrockets Despite Low Risk to Society
Dec. 23, 2013, Part 1: Democracy Now!
Text & video interview with Amy Goodman & Renée Feltz (Hosts, Democracy Now!); Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director, Correctional Association of New York; Mujahid Farid, Director of RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison)

He’s Over 80, but a Convict Gets No Parole
October 8, 2013: Jim Dwyer, New York Times

Editorial: Writing Off Lives
September 29, 2013: The Editorial Board, New York Times

“Release Aging Prisoners Project”
September 2013: Herman Bell, FreeHermanBell.org

The Correctional Association’s New Program to Release Aged Prisoners
September 23, 2013: Law and Disorder Radio Show
Text and audio interview with Laura Whitehorn, Mujahid Farid

Op-Ed: Graying Prisoners
August 18, 2013: Jamie Fellner, New York Times

New York State Legislature Joint Resolution Commendation Resolution J2416-2013
June 20, 2013: Senate/Assembly of New York State

“The State of Aging: Prisoners and Compassionate Release Programs”
August 23, 2012: Tina Maschi, The Huffington Post

“Senior Power: ‘Graying prisons,’ early release, and ‘assisted living’
January 3, 2011: Helen Ripper Wheeler, The Berkeley Daily Planet

“Few Texas Inmates Get Released on Medical Parole”
June 3, 2010: Emily Ramshaw, The Texas Tribune

Aging Behind Bars
July 13, 1997: David C. Anderson, New York Times Magazine

“Growing old behind bars”
May 8, 2006: Dana DiFillipo, Philadelphia Daily News

Read/hear first-hand accounts of how incarceration is affecting an elderly person in your life
Read Preliminary Report on our Interview Project, by Ariane Davisson.  Submit your own story.

Articles on Parole & Life Without Parole

Refusal of parole boards to release people who pose little or no risk to public safety, along with LWOP (life without parole) sentences, continue to inflate the number of elders in prison

“The Practical Case for Parole for Violent Offenders”
August 8, 2017: Marc Morjé Howard, The New York Times

“Parole for young lifers inconsistent across US”
August 1, 2017: Sharon Cohen and Adam Geller, The Associated Press

“New York Now Considers Youth as a Factor for Inmates’ Parole”
July 21, 2017: The Associated Press

“Texas should stop spending billions to incarcerate so many people for life”
July 20, 2017: Ashley Nellis and Elizabeth Henneke, Tribtalk (Texas Tribune)

“Rikers May Close. So Should Attica.”
July 19, 2017: Steven Zeidman, The Gothamist

“55 Years Behind Bars”
July 17, 2017: Jessica Pishko, Slate

“What Statistics Can’t Explain About Life on Parole”
July 17, 2017: Shaila Dewan, The New York Times

“The Reckoning Over Young Prisoners Serving Life Without Parole”
July 14, 2017: Matt Ford, The Atlantic

“It’s Time to Overhaul America’s Broken Probation and Parole Systems”
July 13, 2017: Topeka K. Sam, Open Society Foundation Voices

“Michigan Man Resentenced in Juvenile Lifer Case”
July 11, 2017: AP; U.S. News and World Report

“Lawmakers Fail to Fix New York’s Broken, Stingy Parole System”
July 5, 2017: Victoria Law, The Village Voice

“What Life is Like After a Life Sentence”
July/August 2017: Jessica Michaels, Mother Jones

“Here’s how Louisiana parole will change under criminal justice reform”
June 23, 2017: Julia O’Donoghue, NOLA.com/The Times Picayune

“Pennsylvania spends $20 million annually to keep juvenile lifers in prison”
June 13, 2017: Nicole Brambila, Reading Eagle

“Cuomo parole board nominees headed to Senate”
June 9, 2017: Nick Niedzwiadek, Politico New York

“Exposing the New York State Parole Board”
June 8, 2017: Northeast Political Prisoner Coalition, The Amsterdam News

“Lawmakers find compromise on sentencing juveniles to life without parole”
June 7, 2017: Rebekah Allen, The Advocate

“The Supreme Court Said His Prison Sentence Was Unconstitutional. He’s Still Behind Bars.”
June 6, 2017: Stephanie Mencimer, Mother Jones

“New York’s Parole System is ‘Broken,’ But Cuomo Can Help Fix It”
June 5, 2017: Victoria Law, the Village Voice

“With new sentence, Philly ‘juvenile lifer’ could gain freedom after nearly 40 years”
June 5, 2017: Aaron Moselle, Newsworks

“Advocates want inmates eligible for parole who are no longer a risk to society released”
May 12, 2017: Nick Perreault, ABC News 10

“Formerly Incarcerated Call for Parole Reform” (video)
May 11, 2017: Capital Tonight staff, Spectrum News 

“Police officer’s killer sues New York State over parole reversal”
April 28, 2017: Phil Fairbanks, Buffalo News

“Op-Ed: Parole Reform Needed in New Jersey”
April 26, 2017: Roseanne Scotti, NJ Spotlight

“NYS Exposed: State releases more than 130 convicted murderers to parole”
April 24, 2017: 10WHEC

“Freed juvenile lifer finds emotional maze out of prison”
April 4, 2017: Neal Rubin, The Detroit News

“After Murder, A Second Chance”
April 1, 2017: Editorial Board, the New York Times

“Two Tulsa moms who sold drugs likely to die in prison on life-without-parole sentences”
March 27, 2017: Ginnie Graham, Tulsa World

“Appeals Court Hears Juvenile Lifer Meadows’ Case: Pros. Kym Worthy Objected to Release After 47 Years”
March 24, 2017: Diane Bukowski, Voice of Detroit

“Running Out of Time?”
March 2, 2017: Shavonne Robbins as told to Lisa Riordan Seville, The Marshall Project

“The Ford Report: Life Sentences are Slow Death Behind the Walls”
February 27, 2017: Glen Ford, The Real News and Black Agenda Report

“Get governors out of parole decisions”
January 20, 2017: Editorial, The Baltimore Sun

“Prosecutors ignore Supreme Court call to give juvenile lifers a new sentence, says ACLU”
December 12, 2016: Ryan Grimes, Michigan Radio (text and audio)

“New York’s Parole Problem” (audio)
December 9, 2016: The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC

“A Story of Racial Bias, the Absence of Mercy, and a Death in Prison”
November 21, 2016: Equal Justice Initiative

“Pennsylvania rally demands end to ‘death by incarceration'”
October 30, 2016: Joseph Piette, Workers World

“[Man convicted of murder], 79, who has been in prison since the age of 16 REFUSES parole offer because he’s been behind bars ‘long enough’ and just wants to be released outright”
October 29, 2016: Ariel Zilber, dailymail.com

“Death By Another Name”
October 23, 2016: Kenneth E. Hartman, The Marshall Project

“D.C.’s Broken Parole System”
September 30, 2016: Scott Rodd, Washington City Paper

“Real prison reform must take long look at life sentences”
September 15, 2016: Ashley Nelllis, thehill.com

“Juvenile Lifers Dying in Prison”
September 4, 2016: Diane Bukowski, Voice of Detroit

“Michigan prosecutors defying U.S. Supreme Court on ‘juvenile lifers'”
August 26, 2016: Ted Roelofs, Bridge Magazine

“Judge: Courts can’t ‘pass off’ lifer decisions to parole board”
August 19, 2016: Samantha Melamed, Philadelphia Inquirer/philly.com

“Genocide! State, S.A.D.O. Subject Michigan Juvenile Lifers to More ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment'”
August 19, 2016: Diane Bukowski, Voice of Detroit

“Parole board accused of violating settlement with life settlements”
August 18, 2016: Bob Egelko, SFGate

“Wilfred Dacier has earned parole; why isn’t he out?”
August 17, 2016: Jean Trounstine, Lowell Sun

“NY to keep past victim statements for parole board”
August 16, 2016: WBNG News

“This County in Michigan Has the Most Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences in the US”
July 29, 2016: C.J. Clamarella, Reason.com

Reducing LWOP for Youth Can Reduce Future Crisis of Aging in Prison”
January 28, 2016: RAPP, NationInside.org

“NYSACDL Supports Call for Parole Reform”
Winter, 2011: New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Atticus