Today, more than 200,000 men and women over age fifty are languishing in prisons around the United States. It is projected that by 2030, one-third of all incarcerated individuals will be older adults. An already overcrowded and underserved prison system is straining to manage the needs of incarcerated older adults with growing frailty and health concerns. Separated from their families and communities despite a low risk of recidivism, incarcerated older adults represent a major social-justice issue that reveals the intersectional factors at play in their imprisonment. How do the people aging in prison understand their life experiences?

In Aging Behind Prison Walls, Tina Maschi and Keith Morgen offer a data-driven and compassionate analysis of the lives of incarcerated older people. They explore the transferable resiliencies and coping strategies used by incarcerated aging adults to make meaning of their lives before, during, and after imprisonment. The book draws on extensive quantitative and qualitative research as well as national datasets. It features rich narrative case studies that present stories of trauma, coping, and well-being. Based on the data, Maschi and Morgen present a solution-focused caring-justice framework in order to understand and transform the individual- and community-level structural factors that have led to and perpetuate the aging-in-prison crisis. They offer concrete proposals—at the community and national policy levels—to address the pressing issues of incarcerated elders.

"I encourage strongly this critical read for geriatricians, gerontologists, and gerontological social workers. Also, correctional, probation, and parole officers; correctional health-care providers; reentry coordinators; and correctional administrators would likely benefit from this important text" - The Gerontologist

"This is a brilliant piece of work. These authors show their skill in humanizing all people through a caring justice model of practice." - Journal of Gerontological Social Work

"Overall, this text is an informative and useful addition to any clinical or macro special topics social work course. It is well
organized, with up-front summaries of what the chapter will discuss and a final summary of the information discussed at the end of each chapter to help ground the reader." - Research on Social Work Practice

"Aging Behind Prison Walls is a thoughtfully constructed work that adds substantially to the literature on incarceration by exploring a particularly understudied group: inmates over 50 years old." - Choice

"Overarching, all-encompassing and peppered with individuals' narratives on aging in prison. . . . Aging Behind Prison Walls is well suited for advanced students in criminology, social work, and psychology. Practitioners in prison systems, community corrections officers and service providers would also benefit from this text." - Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books