Japan Tackles Graying Prison Population

Justice Ministry to Create $75 Million Geriatric Housing Units at Three Prisons

TOKYO — The Justice Ministry introduced plans for a $75 million prison overhaul to address Japan’s growing number of elderly inmates.

The government will create special-needs housing units at three of the country’s 75 prisons, which will accommodate approximately 1,000 inmates.

The new facilities will be wheelchair-accessible and equipped with elevators. Handrails will be located in hallways and bathrooms.

Units dedicated to special-needs inmates ease the burden of inmate care for correctional officers while improving living conditions for inmates who often have difficulty functioning in general population and traditional correctional environments, according to officials.

The Justice Ministry plans to enhance inmate care with specialized medical, nursing and rehabilitation staff, officials say. The new units will also offer healthy meals, with low-sodium and easily digestible foods, which cater to the age- and condition-specific needs of elderly or ailing inmates.

The number of inmates who are at least 60 years old increased from approximately 3,500 inmates in 1997 to almost 8,700 inmates in 2006, according to the Justice Ministry.

Older inmates represent about 12 percent of Japan’s entire prison population, compared to about 4.5 percent in the United States.

While inmates with dementia, mental health and long-term serious medical issues are cared for in prison hospitals, most elderly inmates in Japan’s prison system are held in traditional facilities, where they are required to provide labor.

Throughout the system there are about 900 older inmates who would be considered candidates for transfer to the new housing units because they are less-than-ambulatory and have difficulty caring for themselves or fulfilling prison duties, officials say.