U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics MAY 2016 Special Report NCJ 248766 Aging of the State Prison Population, 1993–2013 E. Ann Carson, Ph.D., BJS Statistician, and William J. Sabol, Ph.D., former BJS Director he number of prisoners sentenced to more than FIGURE 1 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional Sentenced state prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, authorities increased 55% over the past two decades, and 2013 Tfrom 857,700 in 1993 to 1,325,300 in 2013. During the same period, the number of state prisoners age 55 or older Sentenced state prisoners increased 400%, from 3% of the total state prison population 1,000,000 in 1993 to 10% in 2013 (figure 1). Between 1993 and 2003, 800,000 the majority of the growth occurred among prisoners 39 or younger ages 40 to 54, while the number of those age 55 or older 600,000 increased faster from 2003 to 2013. In 1993, the median age 40–54 of prisoners was 30; by 2013, the median age was 36. The 400,000 changing age structure in the U.S. state prison population 200,000 has implications for the future management and care 55 or older of inmates. 0 1993 2003 2013 Two factors contributed to the aging of state prisoners Year between 1993 and 2013: (1) a greater proportion of Note: Based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction prisoners were sentenced to, and serving longer periods of state correctional authorities. See appendix table 1 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates. in state prison, predominantly for violent offenses, and Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, (2) admissions of older persons increased. The number of 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and persons age 55 or older admitted to state prison increased National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013. 308% between 1993 and 2013, from 1% of state prison HIGHLIGHTS The number of prisoners age 55 or older sentenced to Between 1993 and 2013, more than 65% of prisoners more than 1 year in state prison increased 400% between age 55 or older were serving time in state prison for violent 1993 and 2013, from 26,300 (3% of the total state prison offenses, compared to a maximum of 58% for other age population) in 1993 to 131,500 (10% of the total population) groups sentenced for violent offenses. in 2013. More than four times as many prisoners age 55 or older Between 1993 and 2003, prisoners ages 45 to 49 grew were admitted to state prisons in 2013 (25,700) than in the fastest, while those age 55 or older grew the fastest 1993 (6,300). between 2003 to 2013. The median age at admission increased from 29 years in In 2013, the median age of state prisoners was 36 years 1993 to 32 years in 2003 and 2013. compared to 30 years in 1993 and 34 years in 2003. Forty percent of state prisoners age 55 or older on The imprisonment rate for prisoners age 55 or older December 31, 2013, had been imprisoned for at least sentenced to more than 1 year in state prison increased 10 years, compared to 9% in 1993. from 49 per 100,000 U.S. residents of the same age in 1993 Forty percent of prisoners age 55 or older on to 154 per 100,000 in 2013. December 31, 2013, had been admitted to prison after they were at least age 55, and 60% turned 55 while in prison. admissions in 1993 to 4% in 2013. Admissions of persons FIGURE 2 age 24 or younger decreased 11% over the same period. At Sentenced state prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, yearend 2013, almost 40% of state prisoners age 55 or older and 2013 had served at least 10 years on a new court commitment. Sixty percent of these prisoners were admitted before age Sentenced state prisoners 55, many as part of the growth in 45 to 54 year olds between 50,000 1993 and 2003, and aged into the oldest age group while in prison. In comparison, less than 20% of state prisoners ages 30 to 49 at yearend 2013 had served 10 years or more. 40,000 2003 This report uses data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP), 30,000 National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program, and the 1991 and 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities 2013 (SISCF). The NCRP and NPS are annual collections of 20,000 administrative data on prisoners from state departments of corrections, while the SISCF is a periodic collection based on interviews a sample of state prisoners. 10,000 1993 Growth of the state prison population 0 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 Age The number of state prisoners age 55 or older doubled Note: Counts based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the each decade between 1993 and 2013 jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, As BJS has previously reported, growth of the state prison 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013. population slowed in the 2000s, compared to the 1990s.1 For example, between 1993 and 2003, the number of sentenced prisoners (those sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities) increased 46%, from 857,700 to 1.3 million (figure 2). From 2003 1 See the Prisoners series of reports for 1994, 1998, 2000, 2009, and 2013. TABLE 1 Sentenced state prisoners, by age, December 31, 1993, 2003, and 2013 1993 2003 2013 Age Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Total* 857,675 100% 1,256,442 100% 1,325,305 100% 18–19 27,500 3.2 22,800 1.8 14,300 1.1 20–24 164,700 19.2 197,100 15.7 163,000 12.3 25–29 208,400 24.3 216,800 17.2 213,300 16.1 30–34 180,400 21.0 203,200 16.2 218,000 16.5 35–39 117,900 13.7 195,900 15.6 179,900 13.6 40–44 72,800 8.5 179,300 14.3 155,200 11.7 45–49 34,800 4.1 117,700 9.4 136,600 10.3 50–54 18,700 2.2 62,700 5.0 112,200 8.5 55–59 12,600 1.5 31,300 2.5 68,000 5.1 60–64 7,700 0.9 15,000 1.2 34,400 2.6 65 or older 6,000 0.7 12,000 1.0 29,100 2.2 40–54 126,300 14.7% 359,700 28.6% 404,100 30.5% 55 or older 26,300 3.1 58,300 4.6 131,500 9.9 Mean age 31.7 years 35.2 years 37.8 years Median age 30 34 36 Note: Counts based on prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year under the jurisdiction of state correctional authorities. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding. See appendix table 2 for standard errors of the 1993 estimates. *Includes prisoners age 17 or younger. Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program, 1993, 2003, and 2013; Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991; and National Corrections Reporting Program, 2003 and 2013. AGING OF THE STATE PRISON POPULATION, 1993–2013 | MAY 2016 2 to 2013, growth slowed to 5%, and prison populations Prisoners age 55 or older accounted for most of the growth in several states decreased.2 In comparison, the number in the prison population from 2003 to 2013 (106% of of prisoners age 55 or older more than doubled every 68,900 prisoners) (figure 4). While prisoners ages 40 to 54 10 years, an increase of about 120% in each decade (26,300 accounted for an additional 64% of the increase, the total in 1993, 58,300 in 2003, and 131,500 in 2013) (table 1). By increase was offset by a decline of 69% in the number of 2013, prisoners age 55 or older accounted for 9.9% of the prisoners age 39 or younger. In comparison, between 1993 sentenced population in state prisons, up from 3.1% in 1993. and 2003, the increase included prisoners age 55 or older (8% of 398,800 prisoners), age 39 or younger (34%), and ages Between 1993 and 2003, the fastest growing portion of the 40 to 54 (59%). (See appendix table 6 for a more detailed state prison population was inmates ages 45 to 49, which distribution of the proportion of total change.) more than tripled in size (figure 3). At the same time, prisoners in younger age groups declined. The number of By 2013, the median age of the state sentenced prison prisoners ages 35 to 44 increased 97% between 1993 and population was age 36, up from age 30 in 1993. The average 2003, then declined by 11% (40,100 prisoners) between 2003 age of state prisoners increased by 3.5 years in the decade and 2013. Since 2003, prisoners age 55 or older have been the between 1993 and 2003 and 2.6 years between 2003 and fastest growing age group. 2013 (age 32 in 1993, age 35 in 2003, and age 38 in 2013). 2 See Prisoners in 2012: Trends in Admissions and Releases, 1991–2012 (NCJ 243920, BJS web, November 2013) and Prisoners in 2013 (NCJ 247282, BJS FIGURE 4 web, September 2014).