Two women in their 80s have returned to Los Angeles following decades of incarceration in California prisons. This release, according to advocates, highlights the ongoing imperative for criminal justice reform aimed at ending the prolonged imprisonment of elderly individuals who no longer present a significant threat to public safety.
Hundreds of elderly women in California prisons remain in inhumane and costly conditions due to inadequate consideration by the Board of Parole Hearings, despite laws passed to address the issue.
A new report from advocates and researchers argues that California spends millions incarcerating elderly women who pose little threat to public safety, even as their health declines and costs increase, and that releasing them would be both fiscally and morally responsible.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2027 budget has been criticized for not adequately addressing the high costs and human consequences of incarcerating a growing elderly prison population, as the state prison system increasingly functions as a de facto nursing home.