The long-term decline in the number of individuals in state prisons has led to a demographic shift towards an older incarcerated population, and necessitates increased attention to policies and costs associated with this population, according to a report by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
A larger share of older people now remain behind bars, a trend that quicked since the COVID pandemic, the report said. This raises questions about sentencing, parole, healthcare costs and reentry policy, the comptroller said.
The analysis builds on a 2022 review that found people aged 50 and older made up a growing portion of the state’s incarcerated population over the past two decades. Between March 2020 and Mar. 2021, the total prison population dropped by 26%, or 10,861 people, including a 17% decline among those 50 and older. Even with that decrease, the share of older incarcerated people peaked at 24.3% in 2021.
“The share of older people in New York’s prisons has grown over time,” DiNapoli said. “We need careful evaluation of policies related to sentencing, parole, compassionate release, geriatric and health costs, and reentry support for this older population to determine an approach that ensures public safety and protects taxpayers, while reducing incarceration where warranted.”
Since 2008, the average age of people in state prisons has increased by four years, reaching 40.2. One factor cited is that more older individuals are reaching their conditional release dates while still incarcerated rather than being granted parole.
After another slight decline in 2022, the prison population rose by 1,957 people between 2023 and 2025. The number of older incarcerated individuals has remained relatively steady since 2022, though their share has dipped from its 2021 peak to 22.3% in 2025, still above pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, people 50 and older accounted for 21% of the prison population, up from 12% in 2008.
People under 50 have consistently made up more than three-quarters of the total prison population and more than 90% of its long-term decline. While the number of incarcerated individuals ages 50 to 59 rose 10% between 2008 and 2020, it fell 32% from 2020 to 2025. Meanwhile, those ages 60 to 69 and 70 and older have grown both in number and as a share of the total, together representing nearly 9% of the prison population in 2025.
Releases have also declined alongside the overall prison population. In 2024, 23.1% of older incarcerated people were released, compared to 28.5% of the total population. From 2019 to 2024, conditional releases among those 50 and older increased by 14 percentage points, accounting for 48.6% of their releases. Over the same period, discretionary parole decisions for that age group fell from 57.2% to 48.9%.
Data from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision show lower recidivism rates among older individuals. For releases between 2008 and 2021, the three-year recidivism rate for a new felony offense was 3.3% for people ages 60 to 69 and 1.7% for those 70 and older.
Healthcare costs have climbed as the prison population has shrunk. Per-person health spending rose from $5,850 in State Fiscal Year 2013 to $13,923 in SFY 2025 — a 138% increase. Overall healthcare spending reached $450.6 million in SFY 2025, surpassing the previous high in 2017. The report notes that detailed data on healthcare costs specific to older incarcerated people is not publicly available.
