[citation needed] Older prisoners arguably age faster than their cohorts on the outside of the institution as a direct result of chronic, long-term diseases and a history more accustomed to drug and alcohol abuse.
[1] With both incarceration rates and the nation's population higher than ever and stricter sentences being prescribed to perpetrators, the number of older prisoners is on the rise.
[2][3][4] The most commonly contracted diseases during incarceration share similar diagnoses to those outside of the institutions; however, the rate at which they afflict older prisoners is escalated significantly - 25% compared to their free cohorts not confined to prison environments.
[6][7][8][9] Some U.S. states have begun to expedite parole or expand compassionate release for older prisoners.
[10] Supporters of the bill, including Release Aging People in Prison (an advocacy organization of formerly incarcerated individuals), have pledged to continue applying public pressure to legislators to release more older prisoners.