Michigan adapts to aging prison population

LANSING – More than 2,000 of Michigan prison inmates are 65 or older, about one in fifteen inmates, according to the state’s Department of Corrections.

“Our population is aging because when you come to prison in Michigan, you tend to stay longer periods of time,” said Heidi Washington, the director of the department.

The department has observed an upward trend in the average minimum sentence imposed by judges, rising in two decades from two years to the current five years, according to Washington.

Washington said longer sentences lead to the aging population build up.

Jenni Riehle, a public information officer for the Department of Corrections, said aging inmates typically need more medical services than younger ones, increasing the need for accessible facilities and equipment such as wheelchairs and specialized systems for hearing-impaired inmates. Those may lead to additional costs for the department.

Prisons also provide courses and educational placements for individuals serving long sentences as part of a program for inmates.

The results are good, according to Washington.

“People who are in prison for a long time also need to have constructive things to be doing, things that help them work on their own selves and their plan for the future,” Washington said.

To address the aging of the population resulting from long-term incarceration, Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, is promoting legislative changes.

She has introduced the Second Look Sentencing Act, which would allow judges to review the sentences of nonviolent inmates who have already served at least 10 years. The legislation has not been approved.

“Some people have been in prison for many decades,” said Chang, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety. “They’re now just very different people. They’ve changed themselves.”