At Least She Died Free: The Possible Fates of Aging American Women Prisoners

Abstract

This project examines the reasons for the growing cohort of aging American prisoners overall while focusing on living conditions inside prisons and the potential outcomes for older women in particular. Employing a qualitative analysis, informed by quantitative research and a wide range of carceral literature, the inquiry seeks to discover different possibilities for the futures of these women. The United States incarcerates more women than any other country and, by 2030, one-third of all prisoners will be age 55 or older. Human rights issues relating to prison conditions, punitive sentencing policies, and prisoner desistance perspectives in the United States are explored.