NCJ Number
132249
Date Published
1991
Length
154 pages
Annotation
The Project for Older Prisoners (POPS), established by George Washington University's National Law Center in 1989, is a unique national project that helps older prisoners gain early release.
Abstract
Because older inmates will number more than 125,000 by the year 2000, the center is working with several State legislatures to develop new policies and laws for the growing population of geriatric prisoners. POPS prisoners are selected for the project because of their advanced years or medical conditions. A student is assigned to the inmate's case and conducts an exhaustive background analysis to determine the inmate's likely recidivism. If the prisoner is assigned a low risk, the student then determines where the prisoner can live and support himself. Ultimately, the student presents the case to the parole or pardon board. In addition to individual cases, POPS works on drafting prison reform legislation. Alternatives to incarceration proposed by POPS include home release programs that track elderly or infirm prisoners by special electronic bracelets. Newspaper articles related to older prisoners are included that focus on prison overcrowding, the care of elderly prisoners, the parole of inmates with medical conditions, elderly recidivists, parole and pardon of older prisoners, and costs of caring for elderly inmates. The POPS report to the Louisiana legislature is included along with prison statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, information on recidivism, sample POPS housing research data, and a sample POPS prisoner file.