This is a no brainer for me. We all know that dangerous and violent criminals are young. As criminals age their crimes decrease accordingly. A purse snatcher for example can’t do those escape sprints at 45 or 50 like he could at 25. Maturity also tames those who like to engage in risky behavior. Life in prison is supposed to be just that. However the truth is life or at least the quality of life is really over for prison inmates and everyone for that matter when, disease, blindness, hearing loss and the inability to simply walk brings disability.
Our prisons have become nursing homes with significant health care costs. That’s over and above the cost of security over senior citizens behind bars.
The solution is simple if prisoners are so old or so disabled they are no longer a threat let them out. That’s far better than letting out a 25 to 45 year old burglar, robber or rapist early. That means people like Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, other high profile ageing convicts will get their diapers changed in a nursing home.
There are thousands of dangerous young criminals that society needs protection from. We should not waste valuable prison real estate on anyone who is feeble and helpless.
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How about instead some sort of minimum secruity (really minimum) where they can live out their lives in peace.
If you just release them, after all those years, with no training, no skills, not even much of any social secruity money, well you will be seeing them again when they have to rob or steal to even eat.