Texas prisons are filling up with the elderly and the sick. And it’s costing the state a fortune, according to a new in-depth story by The Texas Observer. There are roughly 150,000 inmates in Texas. And more than one in six of those are over the age of 50. These are the most expensive prisoners to keep locked up. Medical and end-of-life expenses add up to some $30,000 for these elderly inmates. In some jurisdictions, housing these older prisoners can cost taxpayers as much as $68,000 per person.
Illness is another expensive problem. The ailments of sick prisoners are often ignored until it’s too late.
For example, one diabetic inmate complained of the uncomfortable boots he was given. His heel turned black before he was admitted to the hospital, where his foot was amputated. It was too late. 4 days later, he was revised to a below the knee amputation. By then he’d also gone blind.
