Similar to a health impact assessment conducted by the Public Health Institute of Western Mass. on “Healthy Aging with a Criminal Record in Hampden County, MA” the organization Justice in Aging released an issue brief titled “Reducing Barriers to Reentry for Older Adults Leaving Incarceration.”

Justice in Aging notes in the report that the proportion of older adults in prison in the U.S. nearly tripled between 1999 and 2016, from 3 percent to 11 percent, and is projected to
increase to more than 30 percent by 2030.

The issue brief discusses a significant lack in access to housing, healthcare and other supports that would help older adults leaving incarceration to avoid homelessness and negative health outcomes. A range of policy solutions are recommended and while those are largely at the federal level, there are items that communities can support that are working to become more age-friendly. More local and state solutions are available in the report from the Public Health Institute of Western Mass.