ABSTRACT
The U.S. prison population has experienced a dramatic growth over the past several decades. With the introduction of stiff anti-drug laws and the implementation of tougher sentencing laws including mandatory minimum sentences, the prison population has grown to record highs. With the additional growth of the baby boom generation, the older adults are the fastest growing segment of the prison population including a steady increase in aging female offenders. Today, over 108,000 women are incarcerated in state and federal institutions (Carson & Golinelli, 2013). Of this group of incarcerated women, an increasing number are now among the rapidly growing population of aging prisoners. According to the most recent Bureau of Justice figures, over 13,640 women age 50 and over are housed in U.S. prisons (Carson & Golinelli, 2013). Almost 30,000 female prisoners currently in their 40s are set to join the ranks of aging inmates (Wahidin & Aday, 2013).
