Number Of Jail Inmates Age 65 & Older Increased 80% From 2020 To 2024

From 2020 to 2024, the number of adults age 65 and older held in local jails increased by 80%, from 7,400 to 13,300. Over the same period, the total midyear jail population increased by approximately 20%, from 549,100 to 658,700. Adults age 65 and older accounted for 2.0% of the midyear jail population in 2024, compared with approximately 1.3% in 2020.

The jail incarceration rate among adults age 65 and older increased by 62%, from 13 per 100,000 U.S. residents in 2020 to 22 per 100,000 in 2024. This was the . . .