Aging Population/Compassionate Release
Aging Prison Population & Compassionate Release: Georgia Data, National Research, Fiscal Analysis, and Legislative Landscape
This document extracts program-design evidence from the Justice Policy Institute's August 2025 report on aging prison populations in Illinois, Iowa, and Texas. It highlights how release mechanisms for aging and medically incapacitated individuals fail when eligibility is narrow, access to counsel is absent, and administrative will is lacking. Key findings include a three-fold disparity in Illinois medical release approvals based on legal representation, Iowa's complete lack of a compassionate release mechanism, and Texas's severely underutilized MRIS program, all of which inform design principles for a potential Georgia geriatric parole mechanism.
Where this research is used
This page is a research collection: individual facts drawn from the sources listed further down, each traced to where it came from. A research topic brings many collections together into one overview of an issue. The facts on this page feed these 10 topics; open one to see how they fit with the rest of the evidence.
Budget & Spending
Georgia's prison budget rose from $1.53 billion in fiscal 2024 to an all-time peak of $1.91 billion in fiscal 2025, then settled near $1.79 billion for fiscal 2027. Across that arc the money moved toward health contracts, private beds and surveillance technology while the state-operated prison program, food service and education shrank. GPS's own budget series has since corrected several of its earlier headline claims, and the gap between what the state appropriates and what it can show for it remains the central accountability problem.
11,375 data points
Healthcare & Medical Neglect
Georgia's prison healthcare system fails the constitutional floor on a documented, repeated basis: the federal Department of Justice concluded in October 2024 that medical care in Georgia prisons is 'abhorrent,' 'life-threatening' and unconstitutional, with people waiting months for treatment and roughly 10% of those with Hepatitis C or HIV receiving it. The state has outsourced the duty to a succession of contractors — Georgia Correctional HealthCare until 2021, Wellpath for three years, and Centurion Health since July 2024 under a $2.40 billion nine-year contract — while the Health program appropriation reached $432,247,728 for fiscal year 2027. What the record leaves is a delivery system that cannot staff itself, a mortality record the Department stopped explaining in March 2024, and named dead people whose settlements the state pays years later.
4,808 data points
Legal Standards & Case Law
The rules that decide whether a Georgia prison condition is unconstitutional come from a short list of Supreme Court decisions, a 2024 Eleventh Circuit ruling that raised the bar above every other circuit, and a 1996 statute that limits what a federal court can order even after a violation is proven. This page traces that framework from Estelle v. Gamble and Farmer v. Brennan through Guthrie v. Evans, Brown v. Plata and Wade v. McDade, and sets it against Georgia's own record: a federal takeover that ran from 1972 to 1999, a 2024 Department of Justice finding of Eighth Amendment violations across the system, and a docket of prisoner cases that mostly ends in summary judgment.
6,787 data points
Mortality & Deaths in Custody
Georgia has recorded more than 1,900 deaths in state prison custody since January 1, 2020, including a record 333 in 2024, and the state's own accounting has grown less informative as the deaths have risen. Georgia Prisoners' Speak's mortality registry — 1,918 deaths since 2020, 268 classified as homicides and 563 with no cause yet determined — is assembled from medical examiners, coroners, court records, news reporting and open-records productions, because the Georgia Department of Corrections stopped publishing cause of death in March 2024. The federal Department of Justice found in 2024 that the department underreports homicides, and the case record shows how people die inside: stabbed in understaffed dorms, strangled by cellmates, dead of dehydration behind a locked food flap, and dead of overdoses the state recorded as natural causes.
7,845 data points
Parole & Sentencing
Parole in Georgia is a discretionary act of executive clemency, and the record shows that discretion narrowing to the point of near-refusal: parole releases fell from 16,772 in fiscal 1991 to 5,588 in fiscal 2025, the overall grant rate dropped from 38 percent in 2019 to 28 percent in 2024, and the life-sentence grant rate sits between 4.5 and 5.4 percent. Over the same decades the average time served before release on a life sentence rose from under nine years in 1973 to 29.6 years in fiscal 2025. The Board's own reports also leave contradictions unresolved — year-shifted tables, a fluctuating time-served series, and a life-decision volume that tripled while grants fell.
11,852 data points
Policy & Advocacy
Georgia's policy and advocacy landscape is defined by a paradox: a decade of bipartisan sentencing reform that measurably reduced incarceration and racial disparity, followed by a sharp reversal toward prison construction, surveillance technology, and record spending attached to no independent oversight. Legislative victories on wrongful conviction compensation, survivor justice, and out-of-time appeals sit alongside bills that died in the last minutes of session — an independent prison ombudsman, restrictive housing limits, parole transparency — and a post-conviction system the Chief Justice of Georgia calls 'a mess' that only the legislature can fix. The 2026 statewide elections and an unresolved federal investigation are the two live pressure points advocates are organizing around.
7,412 data points
Population & Demographics
Georgia's prison population has travelled from roughly 3,000 people in 1925 to a peak above 54,000, and now sits somewhere between 47,000 and 53,000 depending on which counting rule is used. That population is about 60 percent Black in a state that is about 33 percent Black, is aging faster than the national average, and holds a life-sentenced population that grew while the rest of the country's shrank. This page assembles the trend lines, the demographic splits, and the definitional disagreements that make Georgia's population numbers hard to pin down.
7,570 data points
Racial Disparities
Black Georgians are roughly a third of the state's population and roughly 60 percent of its prisoners, a gap that widens at every deeper point in the system — arrest, conviction, life sentences, solitary confinement, and exoneration. This page assembles the measured disparity across 23 GPS research collections, from the Black Codes and convict leasing to 2025 prison admissions data, and flags where Georgia's own reporting stops short of what the numbers would require.
2,134 data points
Recidivism & Reentry
Georgia reports one of the lowest recidivism rates in the nation — a 25 to 27 percent three-year felony reconviction rate — but that figure counts only new felony convictions, only within three years, and only among people who survive the window. Georgia's own reconviction rate has climbed every year since 2019, reaching 30.7 percent for the 2022 release cohort even as the state spends more than a billion dollars a year on corrections, releases 12,000 to 16,000 people annually with almost no preparation, and funds vocational education at $172,000 statewide. The evidence on what works is unusually clear — education, vocational training, cognitive-behavioral programming, and transitional beds all correlate with substantially lower recidivism — and Georgia has systematized almost none of it at scale.
12,548 data points
Reform Models & Programs
Georgia's rehabilitation system exists mostly as a set of program names. The evidence for cognitive-behavioral treatment, correctional education, and structured reentry is strong and replicated — and Georgia's own 1997–2001 cognitive skills experiment produced a 17% reduction in returns to prison among people who completed the classes. What the record shows instead is a state that adopts programs, funds them at a fraction of a percent of its prison budget, and rarely publishes whether they worked.
12,570 data points
Key Findings
The most impactful data from this research collection. Tap a card for the full finding, GPS commentary on why it matters, and its source.
The finding
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile (All Active Inmates, data through June 2026, page 91, Results of most recent Hepatitis-C test): Positive on current test 1,850; Negative 24,269; Total Reported 26,119; NOT REPORTED 27,471; Grand Total 53,590. GDC therefore holds a hepatitis C result for only 48.7% of the people in its custody — more people have NO result on file (27,471) than have a negative one (24,269). Direct contrast in the SAME document: HIV Total Reported 46,786 of 53,590 = 87.3% coverage. The 7.08% positivity rate is of TOTAL REPORTED, not of the population. Applying GDC own 7.08% rate to the 27,471 untested implies ~1,945 additional undetected infections.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
With half the people in custody untested, GDC's own records cannot show how much hepatitis C exists in its prisons, a gap in the same vein as its halted cause-of-death reporting and unavailable ADA compliance data.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.
The finding
Individuals released through California's elderly parole process have a re-conviction rate of 1.8 percent, consistent with the longstanding trend of low recidivism among older age groups and among people released after a parole hearing.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
California's results suggest a geriatric parole process can release older people with very little new offending. That bears on how the Georgia Board might use its constitutional authority to parole anyone age 62 or older.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- CDCR SB-108 Report: Alternatives to Incarceration (March 2026)
- California Board of Parole Hearings Recidivism Report FY2019-20
The finding
The aging inmate population (50+) grew from approximately 5% in 1992 to approximately 27% in 2026, a more than five-fold increase. Inmates in their 50s quadrupled from 3% to 12% (1992-2012). Inmates 60+ doubled from 2% to 4% during 1992-2012 and now stand at 9.3%.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Growth on that scale means the higher medical costs, accessibility needs and deaths in custody tied to age now affect more than a quarter of Georgia's prison population, not a small group.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
The finding
From GDC's Aging-Inmate Population Project: Inmates 65+ medical cost: $8,500/year. Inmates under 65: $950/year. Multiplier: approximately 9x.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Because each person 65 or older costs about nine times as much in medical care, releasing even a modest number through geriatric parole or medical reprieve would remove an outsized share of prison health spending.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Source
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
The finding
Federal government released 11,000+ elderly/medically vulnerable prisoners under CARES Act. Only 17 arrested for new crimes (0.15%). Only 8 returned for new criminal conduct. BOP concluded: CARES recipients 'recidivated no more or less than comparable people in home confinement, and even less often post-release.'
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Set beside Georgia's roughly 61 medical reprieves a year, the federal releases show that freeing older and medically vulnerable people in large numbers produced very few new arrests.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Source
- BOP CARES Act Recidivism White Paper (March 2024)
The finding
Compassionate release recidivism rate is 3.5% compared to 41% for the general federal prison population.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Release based on age or illness carried a small fraction of the general reoffending risk at the federal level. That is relevant when weighing Georgia's narrow 'entirely incapacitated' medical reprieve standard.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Source
- USSC Effects of Aging on Recidivism (2022)
The finding
Georgia prison death rate: 584 per 100,000, which is 70% above the national average of 344 per 100,000. Homicide rate: 8x national.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
With more than half of Georgia's deaths in custody occurring among people 50 and older, a death rate this far above the national average falls heavily on the population that release mechanisms aim to reach.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
The finding
Applying ACLU's $68,270/year to Georgia's 12,180 people 50+: estimated $831.6 million/year — 46% of budget for 24% of population. Differential cost above younger prisoners: approximately $415.8 million/year.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
If the estimate holds, older people account for nearly half of Georgia's prison spending. Any geriatric release mechanism would therefore act on a cost far out of proportion to their share of the population.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
The finding
Scenario 1 (1,000-1,500 age 65+, 20+ years): $66.3-$99.4M/year savings. Scenario 2 (2,000-3,000 age 60+, 15+ years): $132.6-$198.9M/year. Scenario 3 (3,000-5,000 age 55+, 10+ years): $198.9-$331.5M/year.
Why it matters · GPS commentary
Even the narrowest scenario, limited to people 65 and older who have served 20 years, saves tens of millions a year. The eligibility rules chosen for a Georgia geriatric parole mechanism directly set its fiscal effect.
Our reading of the finding above. It is not part of the source.Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
All Data Points
155 verified data points extracted from primary sources.
GDC has NO hepatitis C test result for 27,471 people — 51% of its custody population (June 2026) Statistic
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile (All Active Inmates, data through June 2026, page 91, Results of most recent Hepatitis-C test): Positive on current test 1,850; Negative 24,269; Total Reported 26,119; NOT REPORTED 27,471; Grand Total 53,590. GDC therefore holds a hepatitis C result for only 48.7% of the people in its custody — more people have NO result on file (27,471) than have a negative one (24,269). Direct contrast in the SAME document: HIV Total Reported 46,786 of 53,590 = 87.3% coverage. The 7.08% positivity rate is of TOTAL REPORTED, not of the population. Applying GDC own 7.08% rate to the 27,471 untested implies ~1,945 additional undetected infections.
27,471 people with no hepatitis C result on file vs. 53,590 total in GDC custody
Georgia inmates age 50+ represent 27% of prison population Statistic
Of 47,391 active inmates in the GPS database, 12,777 (27.0%) are age 50 or older. More than 1 in 4 inmates in Georgia's prisons is over 50 years old.
12,777 inmates age 50+ vs. 27 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Illinois Joe Coleman Act: 60% grant rate with legal counsel vs 19% without Statistic
Under the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act in Illinois, 60% of applicants represented by legal counsel in the application process were granted release, compared to only 19% of those who had no lawyers.
60% vs. 19 without counsel
CDCR 2024: Individuals 60+ are 14% of population but 27% of health expenses Statistic
During 2024, individuals 60 years of age and older in CDCR adult institutions represented 14% of the population yet accounted for an estimated 27% of health system expenses.
27% vs. 14 percent of population
Georgia inmates age 55+: 8,694 (18.3%) Statistic
8,694 inmates age 55+ represent 18.3% of 47,391 active inmates in Georgia's prison system.
8,694 inmates age 55+ vs. 18.3 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Illinois Joe Coleman Act: 78 applications and 50 denials in 2022 Statistic
In 2022, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board's Coleman Act report found that of 78 applications for medical release, 50 were denied — just under two-thirds of all applications. Of the 28 approvals, all but five were older persons.
78 applications vs. 50 denials
CDCR 2024 average annual health care cost per person by age band Statistic
The 2024 estimated average annual health care cost per person by age band in CDCR custody: under 30: $33,411; 30–39: $40,056; 40–49: $46,836; 50–59: $60,780; 60–69: $87,552; 70–79: $139,056; 80 and older: $237,325.
$237,325 vs. 33,411 cost for under 30
Georgia inmates age 60+: 5,404 (11.4%) Statistic
5,404 inmates age 60+ represent 11.4% of 47,391 active inmates.
5,404 inmates age 60+ vs. 11.4 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Illinois Joe Coleman Act: One-third of applications rejected since enactment Statistic
As of July 2025, the Illinois Prison Project estimated that one-third of applications under the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act had been rejected since the law went into effect in January 2022.
33%
CDCR: Health care cost for 80+ is 7.1 times cost for under 30 Statistic
Health care costs for an incarcerated person 80+ are approximately 7.1 times the cost for a person under 30.
7.1 ratio
Georgia inmates age 65+: 2,904 (6.1%) Statistic
2,904 inmates age 65+ represent 6.1% of 47,391 active inmates.
2,904 inmates age 65+ vs. 6.1 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Joe Coleman Act defines medical incapacitation to include dementia Legal fact
The Joe Coleman Medical Release Act defines medical incapacitation as any diagnosable medical condition unlikely to improve in the future, including dementia, that prevents the individual from completing more than basic self-care tasks.
California elderly parole re-conviction rate is 1.8 percent Statistic
Individuals released through California's elderly parole process have a re-conviction rate of 1.8 percent, consistent with the longstanding trend of low recidivism among older age groups and among people released after a parole hearing.
1.8%
Sources
- CDCR SB-108 Report: Alternatives to Incarceration (March 2026)
- California Board of Parole Hearings Recidivism Report FY2019-20
Georgia inmates age 70+: 1,320 (2.8%) Statistic
1,320 inmates age 70+ represent 2.8% of 47,391 active inmates.
1,320 inmates age 70+ vs. 2.8 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Iowa has no official form of compassionate release from its prisons Finding
Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) found that Iowa was the only state with no official form of compassionate release from its prisons. The Iowa Board of Parole asserts that it 'does not grant parole due to medical reasons or for family hardship cases.'
California elderly parole factors include cognitive decline Legal fact
California elderly parole factors at Cal. Penal Code § 3055(c) and Cal. Code Regs. tit. 15, § 2449.42(c) include cognitive decline.
Georgia inmates age 75+: 548 (1.2%) Statistic
548 inmates age 75+ represent 1.2% of 47,391 active inmates.
548 inmates age 75+ vs. 1.2 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Iowa Board of Parole does not grant parole for medical reasons Quote
"does not grant parole due to medical reasons or for family hardship cases."
Texas: People over 55 are one-eighth of population but nearly half of hospitalization costs Statistic
In 2020, people over age 55 comprised about one-eighth of the Texas state prison population but accounted for almost half of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's hospitalization costs.
50% vs. 12.5 percent of population
Georgia inmates age 80+: 217 (0.5%) Statistic
217 inmates age 80+ represent 0.5% of 47,391 active inmates.
217 inmates age 80+ vs. 0.5 percent of total population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Iowa prison population: 23% over age 50, 5.4% over 65 Statistic
About 23% of Iowa's prison population is over age 50, 16% over 55, and 5.4% over 65. As of July 2025, 8,426 persons were in Iowa state prisons.
23%
Texas prison health care costs rose from $500M (2012) to $750M (2019) Trend
Texas prison health care costs were estimated to rise from about $500 million in 2012 to about $750 million in 2019, largely due to the aging of the prison population.
GDC official total population December 2024: 51,365 Statistic
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile for December 2024 reports 51,365 total inmates.
51,365 inmates
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, December 2024
Iowa prison racial demographics: 28% Black vs 4.5% state population Statistic
As of July 2025, 61% of Iowa's prison population is white and 28% Black — a gross over-representation against a state population that is about 90% white and 4.5% Black.
28% vs. 4.5 state population
Texas 2024 supplemental appropriation of $148M for managed health care Statistic
The Texas 2024 budget report noted a supplemental appropriation of $148 million for managed health care was needed in light of rising medical costs coupled with an aging prison population.
$148M
Texas incarcerated over 55: 35% mild cognitive impairment, 9% dementia prevalence Statistic
A study of a random sample of people over age 55 incarcerated in Texas state prisons found a 35% prevalence of mild cognitive impairment and a 9% prevalence of dementia — figures that far exceed those conditions among counterparts not in prison.
35%
GDC official inmates 50+ December 2024: 12,146 (23.64%) Statistic
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile for December 2024 reports 12,146 inmates age 50+ (23.64%), comprising inmates in their fifties (7,375, 14.36%), sixties (3,752, 7.30%), and seventy+ (1,019, 1.98%).
12,146 inmates age 50+ vs. 23.6 percent of total population
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, December 2024
Texas MRIS eligibility limited to severe medical or mental conditions Policy
Texas Medically Recommended Intensive Supervision (MRIS) eligibility is limited to individuals who are over 65, terminally ill or severely mentally ill, developmentally disabled, diagnosed with an organic brain disorder, in a vegetative state, or in need of long-term medical care. The program also imposes restrictions based on offense type and may refuse someone based on criminal record.
Texas incarcerated over 62: 45% cognitive impairment prevalence Statistic
Among people in prison over age 62, cognitive impairment was found among 45%.
45%
Mean inmate age rose from 33.2 (1992) to 40.73 (2024) Trend
Mean age of Georgia inmates increased from 33.2 in 1992 to 37.5 in 2012 to 40.73 in December 2024.
Sources
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, December 2024
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
Texas MRIS release not guaranteed even when medical requirements met Finding
Even when all medical requirements are met under Texas MRIS, release is not guaranteed; the parole board generally errs on the side of public safety.
JPI: Recidivism highly unlikely among people older than 55 after release Finding
The report states there is strong evidence that criminal recidivism after release from prison is highly unlikely among people older than 55.
Aging population grew from 5% to 27% in 30 years Trend
The aging inmate population (50+) grew from approximately 5% in 1992 to approximately 27% in 2026, a more than five-fold increase. Inmates in their 50s quadrupled from 3% to 12% (1992-2012). Inmates 60+ doubled from 2% to 4% during 1992-2012 and now stand at 9.3%.
Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
Texas: 56 people released in 2024 had served 21+ years Statistic
Of 26,452 people who completed their sentences and were released from Texas state prisons in 2024, only 56 people — less than 1% — had served 21 years or more; some 338 (5%) had served 11 to 20 years.
56 people vs. 26,452 total releases
Iowa recognizes aging prison population as challenge but lacks medical early release program Finding
Iowa recognizes its aging prison population as a financial and health challenge but has no official early release program related to medical needs.
National elderly prison population: 3% in 1991 to 15% by 2021 Trend
In 1991, older people made up just 3% of the U.S. prison population. By 2021, 15% — about 1 in 6.
Source
- ACLU Trapped in Time (September 2025)
Texas: Over two-thirds of prisoners over 50 serving 10+ year sentences Statistic
In 2023, more than two-thirds of those over 50 in Texas state prisons were serving sentences of more than 10 years.
66.7%
ACLU: Average prisoner cost $34,135/year vs. $68,270/year for age 50+ Statistic
It costs $34,135 per year to house an average prisoner, but $68,270 per year to house a prisoner age 50 and older — double the average, against a then-average American household income of about $40,000 per year.
$68,270 vs. 34,135 average prisoner cost
ACLU: 58,000+ people 55+ have served 10+ years nationally Statistic
The ACLU's September 2025 report 'Trapped in Time: The Silent Crisis of Elderly Incarceration' found more than 58,000 people 55+ have served at least 10 years, with nearly 16,000 behind bars for more than half their lives.
58,000 people 55+ serving 10+ years
Source
- ACLU Trapped in Time (September 2025)
Illinois: 60% of those serving 15+ year sentences are Black Statistic
In 2023, 60% of those serving sentences of 15 years or more in Illinois were Black.
60%
ACLU: Estimated savings of $66,294 per year per released aging prisoner Statistic
Based on statistical analyses of available data, the report estimates that releasing an aging prisoner will save states, on average, $66,294 per year per prisoner — including healthcare, other public benefits, parole, and any housing costs or tax revenue.
$66,294
Projected 400,000 people 50+ incarcerated by 2030 Statistic
By 2030, an estimated 400,000 people 50+ will be incarcerated — one-third of the US prison population.
400,000 projected people 50+ incarcerated
Source
- ACLU Trapped in Time (September 2025)
Illinois 2024 prison population roughly equal to 1991 level Statistic
Illinois's 2024 prison population of 29,083 adults is about the same as fiscal year 1991, after peaking at 49,401 in 2013.
29,083 people vs. 49,401 peak in 2013
ACLU: Low-end savings estimate of $28,362 per year per released aging prisoner Statistic
Even on the low end, states will save at least $28,362 per year per released aging prisoner.
$28,362
People 55+ in state custody increased 400% from 1993-2013 Statistic
The number of people 55+ in state prison custody increased 400% from 1993 to 2013.
400%
Source
- Vera Institute Aging Out
Compassionate release saves $28,000-$66,000 per person per year Statistic
The Osborne Association/Columbia-linked estimate finds that compassionate release programs for older people could save between $28,000 and $66,000 per year per incarcerated person.
$28,000 vs. 66,000 upper estimate
ACLU: Aging prisoner cost estimate uses NIC calculation of twice the average Methodology note
The report's middle estimate uses the National Institute of Corrections calculation setting the cost of an aging prisoner at twice the cost of an average prisoner; the high estimate is three times the average.
Georgia's 27% rate for people 50+ exceeds national average Finding
Georgia's 27% rate for people 50+ in its prison population exceeds the national average.
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Annual incarceration cost for older persons: $70,000 vs $35,000 average Statistic
Marques et al. estimate an annual cost of $70,000 for incarceration of older persons compared with $35,000 for the average incarcerated person.
$70,000 vs. 35,000 average cost
Alabama: Average age of ADOC population has r=.88 with Medical Services spending Statistic
The average age of ADOC's population has a positive linear relationship (r=.88) with spending in the Medical Services category.
0.9 correlation coefficient
Elderly inmates race breakdown: 51% Black, 45.2% White (55+) Statistic
Among inmates 55+: Black: 4,431 (51.0%), White: 3,933 (45.2%), Unknown: 297 (3.4%).
51% vs. 45.2 percent White among 55+
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Texas prisons criticized for minimal use of compassionate early release Finding
Texas Prisons Community Advocates has criticized TDCJ for minimal use of compassionate early release, attributing poor health of older incarcerated people partly to prison conditions including temperatures well over 85 degrees.
Alabama: Average age of ADOC population has r=.87 with average daily system-wide inmate cost Statistic
The average age of ADOC's population has a positive relationship (r=.87) with average daily system-wide inmate cost adjusted for inflation.
0.9 correlation coefficient
Elderly inmates gender: 8,323 male, 371 female (55+) Statistic
Among inmates 55+: Male: 8,323, Female: 371.
8,323 males age 55+ vs. 371 females age 55+
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Design principle: mandates without funding, counsel, and broad eligibility underperform Finding
Combined evidence from Virginia's mandatory in-custody autopsy statute and the Illinois counsel disparity shows that mandates without funding, counsel access, and broad eligibility underperform. Any Georgia geriatric parole ask should specify: broad age-based eligibility rather than stacked medical criteria, a counsel or navigator provision, mandatory reporting of application/approval counts, and dedicated funding.
Alabama: 84.4% of variation in average daily inmate cost explained by average age Statistic
84.4% of the variation in average daily system-wide inmate cost adjusted for inflation can be explained by the average age of ADOC's population.
84.4%
Black Georgians are 33% of state population but 72% of lifers Statistic
Georgia's overall prison population is 59.60% Black and 35.37% white. Black Georgians are 33% of state population but 72% of lifers.
72% vs. 33 percent of state population who are Black
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
JPI recommends maximal use of release mechanisms for prisoners over 50 Finding
JPI recommends that state prison authorities and executive/legislative oversight bodies should establish and maximally use mechanisms for release of people in prison over age 50, especially those who have served long sentences.
Alabama: Each 1-year increase in average age raises daily inmate cost by $5.06 Statistic
When the average age of ADOC's population increases by 1 year, the average daily system-wide inmate cost increases by $5.06 (statistically significant, p=1.168e-07).
$5.06
LWOP population: 2,256 total, 779 (34.5%) age 50+ Statistic
2,256 total LWOP inmates. LWOP 50+: 779 (34.5%). Mean LWOP age: 44.67.
2,256 LWOP inmates vs. 779 LWOP inmates age 50+
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, Active LWOP, August 2025
Alabama: Age 51+ has moderate positive relationship with daily cost (r=0.46) and medical spending (r=0.65) Statistic
Even among individuals aged 51 and above (the youngest metric of geriatric individuals in Alabama's system), there is a moderate positive relationship with average daily system-wide cost (r=0.46) and medical services spending (r=0.65).
0.5 correlation coefficient
Lifers age 55+: 2,653 Statistic
Lifers age 55+: 2,653. Lifers age 60+: 1,816. Lifers age 65+: 1,090. Lifers age 70+: 558.
2,653 lifers age 55+
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Alabama prison health care costs more than doubled since 2000, inflation-adjusted Trend
Health care costs of Alabama's prison system have more than doubled since 2000, even after adjusting for inflation.
37.5% of inmates 65+ are serving life sentences Statistic
37.5% of inmates age 65+ are serving life sentences vs 12.8% of those under 55.
37.5% vs. 12.8 percent of under-55 serving life
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Alabama: ADOC does not uniformly report other relevant variables, limiting detailed models Data gap
The report notes ADOC does not uniformly report other relevant variables, part of a national trend that prevents more detailed models — a data-transparency parallel to GDC.
Top offense for inmates 55+: Murder (1,976, avg age 63.9) Statistic
Top offenses for inmates 55+: Murder: 1,976 (avg age 63.9). Rape: 869 (63.6). Child Molestation: 660 (64.2). Aggravated Assault: 557 (62.3). Aggravated Child Molestation: 519 (63.6). Armed Robbery: 418 (62.5). Kidnapping: 292 (62.3).
1,976 inmates 55+ convicted of murder
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
ASMP: 477 inmates age 55+ (41.3%), highest elderly concentration Statistic
Augusta State Medical Prison has 1,154 total inmates, 477 age 55+ (41.3%), 259 age 65+ (22.4%). ASMP has 637 inmates age 50+ (55.2%) and 379 inmates age 60+ (32.8%).
477 inmates age 55+ vs. 41.3 percent of ASMP population
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Total lifer population: 8,027 with mean age 48.33 Statistic
8,027 lifers total. Mean lifer age: 48.33. Total lifers 50+: 3,528 (44.6%). Race: 72% Black, 24% White.
8,027 lifers
Source
- GDC Monthly Lifers Statistical Profile, September 2025
506 wheelchair-bound inmates in Georgia prisons Statistic
Wheelchair-bound: 506 (1.04%). Needs assisted living: 197 (0.40%). Cannot work: 288 (0.59%). Requires ambulance transport: 332 (0.68%). Blind both eyes: 37. Total/severe hearing loss: 56. Terminal illness (
506 wheelchair-bound inmates vs. 1.0 percent of total population
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
Only 5 inmates classified as terminal (<6 months) Statistic
Only 5 inmates are classified as having terminal illness with less than 6 months to live, per GDC's PULHESDWIT scale.
5 inmates classified terminal
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
Parole rate collapsed from 57% to 34% (1995-2024) Trend
Parole rate dropped from 56.7% in 1995 to 34.3% in 2024 while average time served increased from 1.6 years (1992) to 4.1 years (2024).
Source
- GDC Length of Stay Data
FY 2025 releases: 13,724 total, 2,951 age 50+ (21.5%) Statistic
Total released FY 2025: 13,724. Releases age 50+: 2,951 (21.5%). Releases age 70+: 210 (1.5%). Deaths in custody: 301. Mean age at release: 40.34.
13,724 total releases vs. 2,951 releases age 50+
Source
- GDC Release Statistics FY 2025
301 deaths in custody FY 2025 Statistic
301 deaths in custody during FY 2025.
301 deaths in custody
Source
- GDC Release Statistics FY 2025
GDC FY 2026 proposed budget: $1.62 billion Statistic
GDC FY 2026 proposed budget is $1.62 billion, up from $1.5 billion in FY 2025. Increase FY 2022-2026: approximately $500 million (44%).
$1.6B vs. 1.5 FY 2025 billion dollars
Source
- GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
GDC budget increased ~$500M (44%) from FY 2022-2026 Trend
GDC budget increased approximately $500 million (44%) from FY 2022 to FY 2026.
Source
- GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
Healthcare contract increases: $72M (FY2025), $66M (AFY2025), $31M (FY2026) Statistic
Healthcare contract increases: $72M (FY2025), $66M (AFY2025), $31M (FY2026). Total $169M in healthcare contract increases since FY 2022.
$169M
Source
- GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
GDC healthcare allocation: $345.8 million (~$19/day) Statistic
GDC healthcare allocation is $345.8 million, approximately $19 per day per inmate.
$345.8M vs. 19 dollars per day
Source
- GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
Centurion Health: $2.4 billion contract over 9 years Statistic
Healthcare contractor Centurion Health holds a $2.4 billion contract over 9 years, effective July 2024.
$2.4B
Source
- GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
Cost per day incarceration: $86.61 vs $2.89 community supervision Statistic
Cost per day incarceration: $86.61. Cost per day community supervision: $2.89. Annual cost per inmate: $31,612. Ratio incarceration vs supervision: 30:1.
$86.61 vs. 2.9 dollars per day community supervision
Source
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Cost avoidance from parole FY 2024: $343 million Statistic
Cost avoidance from parole in FY 2024 was $343 million.
$343M
Source
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Inmates 65+ medical cost 9x more than under 65 Statistic
From GDC's Aging-Inmate Population Project: Inmates 65+ medical cost: $8,500/year. Inmates under 65: $950/year. Multiplier: approximately 9x.
$8,500 vs. 950 dollars per year medical cost under 65
Source
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
30.4% of inmates have chronic medical illness Statistic
No medical illness: 34,056 (69.60%). Well-controlled chronic: 13,531 (27.65%). Poorly-controlled chronic: 1,106 (2.26%). Special housing needed: 197 (0.40%). Terminal (
30.4%
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
HIV-positive inmates: 640 (1.33%) Statistic
640 inmates (1.33%) are HIV-positive in Georgia's prison system.
640 HIV-positive inmates vs. 1.3 percent of population
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
Hepatitis C positive inmates: 1,807 (7.53%) Statistic
1,807 people in GDC custody tested positive for hepatitis C (September 2025). CRITICAL DENOMINATOR: the 7.53% is the share of TOTAL REPORTED (people with a test result on file), NOT of the prison population. GDC has no hepatitis C result for roughly half its population, so this count is a floor, not a prevalence.
1,807 Hepatitis C positive inmates vs. 7.5 percent of population
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
Tuberculosis positive inmates: 5,804 (11.52%) Statistic
5,804 inmates (11.52%) test positive for tuberculosis in Georgia's prison system.
5,804 tuberculosis positive inmates vs. 11.5 percent of population
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
51.7% of inmates receive mental health outpatient services Statistic
In GDC's September 2025 inmate statistical profile, 51.7% of the people with a recorded mental-health treatment level were at the outpatient level. GDC's profiles record a treatment level for fewer than half the population, so this is a share of those records, not of the whole prison population. Across everyone, the outpatient count is about one in five people (GPS's current dashboard of the GDC profile: 11,909 outpatient against roughly 52,800 people).
51.7%
Source
- GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
GPS estimates $85M annual healthcare burden for 10,000+ inmates over 50 Statistic
GPS Research Collection #52 estimates total healthcare burden for 10,000+ inmates over 50 at approximately $85 million annually.
$85M
Source
- GPS Research Collection #52
Estimated cost of all inmates 50+: $403.8M base, $715.5M at elderly rate Statistic
Using $86.61/day ($31,612/year): All inmates 50+ (12,777) at base rate = $403.8M, at estimated $56K elderly rate = $715.5M. All inmates 65+ (2,904) at base = $91.8M, at elderly rate = $162.6M.
$715.5M vs. 403.8 million dollars at base rate
Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Georgia ranked 44th of 50 states in per-prisoner healthcare spending Statistic
Georgia ranked 44th of 50 states in per-prisoner healthcare spending (Pew 2017: $3,610 vs $5,720 national median).
$3,610 vs. 5,720 national median dollars per prisoner
Source
- Pew Charitable Trusts Prison Healthcare Spending (2017)
National avg cost inmate 50+: $68,270/yr — double standard rate Statistic
National avg cost standard inmate: $34,135/yr (ACLU). National avg inmate 50+: $68,270/yr (ACLU). National elderly spending: $16 billion/yr. Net savings per released elderly: $66,294/yr (ACLU).
$68,270 vs. 34,135 dollars per year standard inmate
Source
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Virginia: 9% of inmates account for 86% of medical costs Statistic
Virginia found that 9% of inmates (elderly/aging) account for 86% of medical costs.
86%
Source
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Florida: 16% of prisoners (50+) = 40.1% of medical episodes Statistic
Florida: 16% of prisoners (50+) account for 40.1% of medical episodes and 47.9% of hospital days.
40.1% vs. 16 percent of prisoner population
Source
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Federal BOP: highest-aging facilities spend 5x more per person Statistic
Federal BOP: highest-percentage aging facilities spend 5x more per person and 14x more on medication.
5.0x times more spending per person vs. 14 times more on medication
Source
- DOJ Office of Inspector General Report (2016)
Prisoners constitutionally guaranteed medical treatment per Estelle v. Gamble Legal fact
Prisoners are constitutionally guaranteed medical treatment under Estelle v. Gamble. Once released, they become eligible for Medicare/Medicaid, shifting healthcare costs from state corrections to federal programs.
Source
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024: suspend not terminate Medicaid Legal fact
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 requires states to suspend (not terminate) Medicaid during incarceration, effective January 1, 2026.
Source
- Marshall Project (March 2026)
Estimated $4.7 billion/year nationally could shift from corrections to federal healthcare Statistic
If properly expanded through CMS Section 1115 waivers, estimated $4.7 billion/year nationally could shift from state corrections to federal healthcare programs.
$4.7B
Source
- KFF
Georgia's prisons not designed for elderly — ADA non-compliance Finding
Georgia's prisons not designed for elderly. Bunk beds, inaccessible showers, extreme temperatures, long distances without wheelchair ramps. OIG: nationwide ADA review not completed since 1996. Georgia-specific ADA compliance data not publicly available.
Source
- PubMed Caring for the Rapidly Aging Incarcerated Population (2023)
PADLs associated with depression and suicidal ideation in 50+ Finding
'Prison Activities of Daily Living' (PADLs) — standing in line for medications, dropping to floor for alarms — associated with depression and suicidal ideation in inmates 50+.
Source
- PubMed Caring for the Rapidly Aging Incarcerated Population (2023)
Georgia ADA compliance data not publicly available Data gap
Georgia-specific ADA compliance data for prisons is not publicly available. The OIG has not completed a nationwide ADA review since 1996.
Source
- PubMed Caring for the Rapidly Aging Incarcerated Population (2023)
Nearly 40% of nursing homes changed availability after learning of incarceration status Finding
2025 study found nearly 40% of nursing home facilities changed response about availability after learning of incarceration status.
Source
- Dayanim et al. Nursing Home Study (October 2025)
Medical Reprieve eligibility: 'entirely incapacitated' standard Policy
Georgia's Medical Reprieve (O.C.G.A. Section 42-9-43(b)) requires inmates be 'entirely incapacitated' from progressively debilitating terminal illness, with expected death within 12 months, requiring assistance with 2+ daily life functions OR completely immobile, and at extremely low risk of physical threat. This standard is among the most restrictive nationally.
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
Medical reprieve process: no hearings, written record only Policy
Medical reprieve process requires written request to Board of Pardons and Paroles. Board decides by majority vote, written record only, no hearings. DA notified 90 days before for serious violent felonies.
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
Medical reprieve: perverse incentive against medical improvement Finding
Post-release medical reprieve conditions include 24/7 house arrest. If condition improves, return to prison ordered — a perverse incentive discouraging medical improvement.
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
GDC Medical Reprieve Coordinator controls gateway — conflict of interest Finding
GDC Medical Reprieve Coordinator controls gateway to medical reprieve consideration, representing a structural conflict of interest. 'It is not unusual for the DOC to recommend a medical reprieve and the Board to then deny it.'
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
Medical reprieves 2001-2020: 1,224 granted (~61/year) Statistic
2001-2020: 1,224 medical reprieves granted total (~61/year). 2019: 25 granted. 2020: 41 granted. FY 2021: 53 granted.
1,224 medical reprieves granted (2001-2020) vs. 61 average per year
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
Georgia Constitution grants Board authority to parole anyone age 62+ Legal fact
Georgia Constitution grants the Board of Pardons and Paroles authority to parole anyone age 62+. Georgia Code (O.C.G.A. Section 42-9-43(c)) allows parole for 'any aged or disabled persons.' No published criteria, no process, no statistics exist for this authority.
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
Board said 'no documents responsive' to age/disability parole data request Data gap
FAMM requested data on parole due to disability or advanced age; Board said 'no documents responsive' (August 2021). ACLU formally urged Board to use this authority during COVID-2020. Board did not act.
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
FAMM gave Georgia failing grades on both compassionate release mechanisms Finding
FAMM Report Card (October 2022) gave Georgia failing grades on both mechanisms. Medical Reprieve: 'Flunked' — criteria 'unnecessarily and cruelly strict.' Parole Due to Disability or Advanced Age: No statistics, no public policies.
FY 2024: 2,046 life cases considered, 93 granted (4.5%) Statistic
FY 2024: 2,046 life cases considered, 93 granted (4.5%). Overall grant rate: 28% (record low; was 38% in 2019). No hearings held. Denial notices give a one-line reason.
4.5% vs. 93 life paroles granted
Source
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Overall parole grant rate: 28% (record low) Statistic
Overall parole grant rate in FY 2024 was 28%, a record low. It was 38% in 2019.
28% vs. 38 percent grant rate in 2019
Source
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Average time served on life: 12.5 years (1992) vs 31 years (2024) Trend
Average time served on life sentence increased from 12.5 years in 1992 to 31 years in 2024.
Source
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
57.4% of all deaths occur in inmates age 50+ Statistic
Of 1,725 deaths with age data in GPS Mortality Database: 57.4% of all deaths occur in inmates age 50+. 37.3% in inmates 60+. 23.1% in inmates 65+.
57.4%
Source
- GPS in-custody death registry (mortality registry)
2024: 333 deaths — highest on record Statistic
2024 saw 333 deaths in Georgia prison custody, the highest on record. 185 (55.6%) were age 50+. Average age at death was 51.4.
333 deaths in 2024
Source
- GPS in-custody death registry (mortality registry)
GDC stopped reporting cause of death March 2024 Data gap
GDC stopped reporting cause of death in March 2024.
Source
- GPS in-custody death registry (mortality registry)
Nationally 2001-2018: 30,500+ people 55+ died in prisons, 97% from illness Statistic
Nationally 2001-2018: over 30,500 people 55+ died in U.S. prisons, 97% from illness.
30,500 deaths of people 55+ in US prisons vs. 97 percent from illness
Source
- Prison Policy Initiative (August 2023)
Recidivism rate for people 50+: 21.3% Statistic
Recidivism rate for people released at age 50+: 21.3%, compared to 67.6% for those under 21 and 41% overall federal rate.
21.3% vs. 67.6 percent recidivism under 21
Source
- USSC Effects of Aging on Recidivism (2022)
Recidivism age 50-65: approximately 2% Statistic
For people released between ages 50-65, recidivism rate drops to approximately 2%.
2%
Source
- Vera Institute Aging Out
Recidivism age 65+ federal: 13.4% (8-year follow-up) Statistic
Federal recidivism rate for people released at age 65+: 13.4% over 8-year follow-up period.
13.4%
Source
- USSC Effects of Aging on Recidivism (2022)
CARES Act releases: 11,000+, only 0.15% new arrests Statistic
Federal government released 11,000+ elderly/medically vulnerable prisoners under CARES Act. Only 17 arrested for new crimes (0.15%). Only 8 returned for new criminal conduct. BOP concluded: CARES recipients 'recidivated no more or less than comparable people in home confinement, and even less often post-release.'
0.2% vs. 11,000 total CARES Act releases
Source
- BOP CARES Act Recidivism White Paper (March 2024)
Compassionate release recidivism: 3.5% vs 41% general Statistic
Compassionate release recidivism rate is 3.5% compared to 41% for the general federal prison population.
3.5% vs. 41 percent general federal recidivism
Source
- USSC Effects of Aging on Recidivism (2022)
Georgia Board reports 72% successful parole completion rate Statistic
Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles reports 72% successful parole completion rate, compared to approximately 60% national average.
72% vs. 60 percent national average
Source
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Incarcerated persons 10-15 years older physiologically Finding
Incarcerated persons are 10-15 years older physiologically than community peers. 50+ prisoners average 3 chronic medical conditions. Cognitive impairment: 15% of incarcerated 55+ vs 7% in community.
Source
- JAMA Network Open (2025)
Age-crime curve: criminal behavior peaks in late teens/early twenties Finding
The 'age-crime curve' is one of the most robust findings in criminology. Criminal behavior peaks in late teens/early twenties and declines steadily.
Source
- JAMA Network Open (2025)
23 states plus DC have elderly/geriatric parole statutes Statistic
23 states plus DC have elderly/geriatric parole statutes. Georgia is not among them in practice.
23 states with geriatric parole
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
DOJ: Georgia prisons exhibit 'among the most severe violations of constitutional rights in the nation' Quote
DOJ October 2024 93-page findings report: Georgia prisons exhibit 'among the most severe violations of constitutional rights in the nation.' Pattern of deliberate indifference.
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
10-month waits for psychiatrist in Georgia prisons Finding
DOJ investigation found 10-month waits for psychiatrist access in Georgia prisons.
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
Only ~10% of Hep-C/HIV inmates receiving treatment Statistic
DOJ found only approximately 10% of Hepatitis C/HIV positive inmates were receiving treatment.
10%
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
142 homicides in Georgia prisons 2018-2023 Statistic
DOJ documented 142 homicides in Georgia prisons from 2018 to 2023.
142 homicides
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
Staffing below 50% statewide, below 30% at 10 facilities Statistic
DOJ found staffing below 50% statewide and below 30% at 10 facilities.
50% vs. 30 percent staffing at 10 worst facilities
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
GDC rejected all DOJ findings Finding
GDC rejected all findings from the DOJ October 2024 investigation.
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
Georgia death rate: 584 per 100,000 — 70% above national average Statistic
Georgia prison death rate: 584 per 100,000, which is 70% above the national average of 344 per 100,000. Homicide rate: 8x national.
584 deaths per 100,000 inmates vs. 344 national average per 100,000
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
Fulton County DOJ consent decree: $12.8M in 2025, $50M+ budgeted 2026 Statistic
Fulton County DOJ consent decree: $12.8M in 2025, $50M+ budgeted for 2026.
$12.8M vs. 50 million dollars budgeted 2026
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
ASMP conditions: garbage, flies in OR, black mold, chronic leaks Finding
Augusta State Medical Prison conditions include garbage in hallways, flies in operating room, black mold in medical units, chronic leaks. 55.2% of inmates are age 50+.
Source
- DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
Estimated $831.6M/year for inmates 50+ — 46% of budget for 24% of population Statistic
Applying ACLU's $68,270/year to Georgia's 12,180 people 50+: estimated $831.6 million/year — 46% of budget for 24% of population. Differential cost above younger prisoners: approximately $415.8 million/year.
$831.6M vs. 46 percent of budget
Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Scenario modeling: releasing 1,000-5,000 elderly could save $66M-$331M/year Statistic
Scenario 1 (1,000-1,500 age 65+, 20+ years): $66.3-$99.4M/year savings. Scenario 2 (2,000-3,000 age 60+, 15+ years): $132.6-$198.9M/year. Scenario 3 (3,000-5,000 age 55+, 10+ years): $198.9-$331.5M/year.
$331.5M vs. 66.3 million dollars minimum annual savings
Sources
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
- ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Georgia approved $634 million new corrections spending in 2025 Statistic
Georgia approved $634 million in new corrections spending in 2025.
$634M
Source
- GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
Columbia University: New York could save $522M/year from elder parole Statistic
Columbia University estimates $522 million/year savings from elder parole in New York.
$522M
Source
- Sentencing Project A Matter of Life (2025)
HB 1059 (2006): increased life parole eligibility from 7 to 14 years Legal fact
HB 1059 (2006) increased life parole eligibility from 7 to 14 years, and 14 to 30 years for violent offenses.
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Georgia Survivors Justice Act (HB 582, 2024) Legal fact
Georgia Survivors Justice Act (HB 582, 2024) allows departure from mandatory minimums for abuse survivors.
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
SB 25 (2025-2026) Parole Transparency Act died in committee Legal fact
SB 25 (2025-2026), the Parole Transparency Act, died in committee.
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
No compassionate/geriatric release legislation introduced in 2026 Georgia session Finding
In the 2026 Georgia legislative session, no compassionate or geriatric release legislation was introduced or passed.
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Prisoners sentenced after Nov 1, 1987, who are 70 with 30 years served also qualify for parole Legal fact
Prisoners sentenced after November 1, 1987, who are 70 years old with 30 years served also qualify for parole consideration.
Source
- FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
California elderly parole: <3% recidivism Statistic
California's elderly parole program (50+ with 20+ years served) has a recidivism rate of less than 3%.
3%
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Louisiana: ~0% recidivism for those who served 26+ years Statistic
Louisiana reports approximately 0% recidivism for people who served 26+ years.
0%
Source
- Sentencing Project A Matter of Life (2025)
Federal First Step Act: 4,560+ released via compassionate release Statistic
Federal First Step Act resulted in 4,560+ people released through compassionate release provisions.
4,560 people released (minimum)
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Alaska DOC Commissioner quote on aging population and budget Quote
Alaska DOC Commissioner: 'The aging, fragile population drives our budget. It's huge.'
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Parole Board: no hearings; denial notices give a one-line reason Policy
The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles does not hold parole hearings (FY2024 Annual Report: "Parole hearings are not held"). Denials are not unexplained: Board rule 475-3-.05(2) requires the Board to inform inmates of the reasons for denial, and denial notices quoted in federal court records give a one-line reason, such as "insufficient amount of time served to date given the nature and circumstances of your offense(s)." What the notices do not give is an explanation of how the Board weighed the case.
Sources
- Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
- Slakman v. State Board of Pardons and Paroles, No. 1:20-cv-04822-SCJ (N.D. Ga. June 22, 2021)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 475-3-.05(2)
Cognitive impairment: 15% of incarcerated 55+ vs 7% in community Statistic
Cognitive impairment affects 15% of incarcerated people 55+ compared to 7% in the community.
15% vs. 7 percent cognitive impairment community
Source
- JAMA Network Open (2025)
Elderly healthcare cost figures likely significantly higher than 2009-2012 data Methodology note
GDC elderly healthcare cost figures ($8,500/year for 65+) are from 2009-2012 data and are likely significantly higher now given $169M in healthcare contract increases since FY 2022.
Source
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
Admissions of inmates 50+ nearly 4x higher in FY2012 vs FY1992 Trend
Admissions of inmates 50+ were nearly 4x higher in FY2012 compared to FY1992.
Source
- GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
CMS Section 1115 waiver: California first reentry demonstration Oct 2024 Policy
CMS Section 1115 waivers enable reentry healthcare demonstrations. California was first with a reentry demonstration effective October 2024.
Source
- KFF
Maryland HB 1123 (2025): 65+ with 20+ years, expanded medical parole Legal fact
Maryland HB 1123 (2025) established geriatric parole for people 65+ who have served 20+ years, and expanded medical parole.
Source
- NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Virginia: $6.6 million saved from releasing 62 eligible elderly Statistic
Virginia saved $6.6 million from releasing 62 eligible elderly prisoners.
$6.6M vs. 62 eligible people released
Source
- Sentencing Project A Matter of Life (2025)
GPS Database contains 293K+ records Methodology note
The GPS GDC Inmate Database contains over 293,000 records as of April 2026.
Source
- GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
GPS Mortality Database contains 1,767 death records Methodology note
The GPS Mortality Database contains 1,767 death records, with 1,725 having age data.
Source
- GPS in-custody death registry (mortality registry)
Sources
44 cited sources backing this research.
Primary
Official report
ABA Broken and Underutilized
Primary
Official report
ACLU At America's Expense (2012)
Primary
Official report
ACLU Trapped in Time (September 2025)
Secondary
Official report
Primary
Official report
Primary
Official report
BOP CARES Act Recidivism White Paper (March 2024)
Primary
Official report
California Board of Parole Hearings Recidivism Report FY2019-20
Primary
Official report
Primary
Academic
Dayanim et al. Nursing Home Study (October 2025)
Primary
Official report
DOJ Investigation (October 2024)
Primary
Official report
DOJ Office of Inspector General Report (2016)
Secondary
Journalism
Secondary
Official report
FAMM Compassionate Release Toolkit
Primary
Official report
FAMM Georgia Medical Reprieve (December 2021)
Primary
Official report
Primary
Legislation
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 475-3-.05(2)
Secondary
Official report
GBPI FY 2025/2026 Budget Analyses
Primary
Official report
GDC Aging-Inmate Population Project (1992-2012)
Primary
Official report
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, Active LWOP, August 2025
Primary
Official report
Primary
Official report
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, December 2024
Primary
Official report
GDC Inmate Statistical Profile, September 2025
Primary
Official report
GDC Length of Stay Data
Primary
Official report
GDC Monthly Lifers Statistical Profile, September 2025
Primary
Official report
GDC Release Statistics FY 2025
Primary
Official report
Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles FY 2024 Annual Report
Primary
Gps original
GPS GDC offender registry — April 2026 snapshot of GPS's mirror of GDC offender records
Primary
Gps original
GPS in-custody death registry (mortality registry)
Primary
Gps original
GPS Research Collection #52
Primary
Academic
JAMA Network Open (2025)
Primary
Official report
Secondary
Official report
Secondary
Official report
KFF
Secondary
Journalism
Marshall Project (March 2026)
Primary
Data portal
NCSL Geriatric Parole Laws (2024)
Primary
Official report
Pew Charitable Trusts Prison Healthcare Spending (2017)
Secondary
Official report
Prison Policy Initiative (August 2023)
Primary
Academic
PubMed Caring for the Rapidly Aging Incarcerated Population (2023)
Primary
Academic
PubMed Linkages between incarceration and health (2025)
Secondary
Official report
Sentencing Project A Matter of Life (2025)
Primary
Legal document
Primary
Academic
University of Alabama Law Releasing Compassion (2024)
Primary
Official report
USSC Effects of Aging on Recidivism (2022)
Primary
Official report
Vera Institute Aging Out
Key Entities
Organizations, people, facilities, and other named entities referenced in this research.
ACLU
[organization]
Alabama Department of Corrections
[organization]
Augusta State Medical Prison
[facility]
California Board of Parole Hearings
[organization]
California Code of Regulations Title 15 § 2449.42(c)
[legislation]
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
[organization]
California Penal Code § 3055(c)
[legislation]
CARES Act
[legislation]
Central State Prison
[facility]
Centurion Health
[organization]
Coastal State Prison
[facility]
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024
[legislation]
DOJ
[organization]
Estelle v. Gamble
[case]
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
[organization]
Federal BOP
[organization]
First Step Act
[legislation]
Fulton County
[facility]
GDC
[organization]
Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles
[organization]
Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
[organization]
Georgia Constitution Article IV, Section 2, Paragraph II(e)
[legislation]
Georgia Department of Corrections
[organization]
Georgia General Assembly
[organization]
Georgia Prisoners' Speak
[organization]
HB 1059
[legislation]
HB 582
[legislation]
Illinois Department of Corrections
[organization]
Illinois Prison Project
[organization]
Illinois Prisoner Review Board
[organization]
Iowa Board of Parole
[organization]
Iowa Department of Corrections
[organization]
Joe Coleman Medical Release Act
[legislation]
Johnson State Prison
[facility]
Justice Policy Institute
[organization]
Katrina Dawkins
[person]
Medically Recommended Intensive Supervision
[program]
National Institute of Corrections
[organization]
O.C.G.A. Section 42-9-43(b)
[legislation]
O.C.G.A. Section 42-9-43(c)
[legislation]
Osborne Association
[organization]
SB 25
[legislation]
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
[organization]
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
[organization]
Texas Prisons Community Advocates
[organization]
US Sentencing Commission
[organization]
Vera Institute of Justice
[organization]