The rooms are filled with elderly residents, their hands wrinkled and backs bent. They shuffle slowly down the corridors, some using walkers. Workers help them bathe, eat, walk and take their medication. This isn’t a nursing home, but Japan’s largest women’s prison. The population here reflects the aging society outside, and the pervasive problem of loneliness that guards say is so acute for some elderly prisoners that they’d prefer to stay incarcerated.
At Tochigi Women’s Prison, located north of Tokyo, officers say that some elderly inmates even pay out of pocket to stay in the prison, saying they’d prefer to live there forever. The prison has adjusted its services to account for the increasing number of elderly inmates, providing regular meals, free healthcare and eldercare. For some, the prison life is more stable than their lives outside.
Akiyo, an 81-year-old inmate, has served time for shoplifting food and has been incarcerated twice. She said that she has stopped caring about the future and has given up on the idea of ever having a normal life again. Many elderly prisoners are in the same situation, with little family support and living on a very small pension. Some even prefer to stay in prison because of the stability it provides.
Thieves are by far the most common crime committed by elderly inmates, especially women. In 2022, more than 80% of elderly female inmates nationwide were in jail for stealing. Some commit crimes for survival, as 20% of people aged over 65 in Japan live in poverty. Others do it because they have so little left on the outside.
The government is now considering proposals to make housing benefits accessible to more elders and has launched programs for female inmates that provide guidance on independent living, substance addiction recovery, and how to navigate family relationships. However, it’s unclear whether this will be enough to address the issue.
As the elderly population continues to balloon, the government is scrambling to encourage more people to enter the care industry and to import foreign workers to fill the gaps. In the meantime, prisons like Tochigi continue to fill up with white-haired inmates.
