Aging Prisoners Make Up Fastest Growing Segment Of Nation's Prison Population

CRANSTON, RI - DECEMBER 10: (Editorial Use Only) David Smith (his name has been changed at the request of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, both to protect him and the identity of people and victims associated with his crime), a prisoner at Rhode Island's John J. Moran Medium Security Prison, takes some of his free time to play with a dog currently being trained by another prisoner on December 10, 2013 in Cranston, Rhode Island. Smith, who is 70, is currently six years into a 40 year sentence for attempted murder: this is his fifth time in state prison, he has also served two sentences in federal prison. Smith says prior to his most recent conviction he was working as a mechanic, though illness and financial issues eventually led to him trying to murder his brother's sister. He now suffers from a long list of medical problems including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, diabetes and ulcers. His list of medications includes an oxygen tank, 13 pills taken on various daily and weekly schedules, two inhalers and daily insulin injections. Smith is one of the rare prisoners who gets a cell to himself, due to his medical condition. Approximately 50 of the prison's 1020 inmates are 65 or older. The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country, with the number of inmates increasing 42 percent between 1995 and 2010, according to Human Rights Watch, and the number of prisoners 55-and-older skyrocketing by 282 percent. The increases are blamed on the "tough on crime" and the "war on drugs" policies enacted in the 1970s through the 1990s, with mandatory-minimum sentencing, three-strike laws and life-without-parole legislation becoming popular. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)