CNN<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The women in Tochigi live behind bars and must work in the prison\u2019s factories, but that suits some just fine. <\/p>\n
Inside they get regular meals, free healthcare and eldercare \u2013 along with the companionship they lack on the outside. <\/p>\n
One inmate, Yoko, 51, has been imprisoned on drug charges five times over the last 25 years. Each time she returns, the prison population seems to get older, she said. <\/p>\n
Akiyo knows the burden of isolation and poverty too well. This is her second stint in prison, after being previously jailed in her 60s for stealing food. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had been financially stable and had a comfortable lifestyle, I definitely wouldn\u2019t have done it,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
When she committed her second theft, Akiyo was living off a \u201cvery small\u201d pension that was only paid every two months. With less than $40 left and two weeks until her next payment, \u201cI made a poor decision and shoplifted, thinking it would be a minor issue,\u201d she said. Her prior conviction meant that she was imprisoned. <\/p>\n
With little family support, Akiyo had stopped caring about the future, or what would happen to her. <\/p>\n
Her 43-year-old son, who lived with her before she was imprisoned, often told her: \u201cI wish you\u2019d just go away.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I didn\u2019t care what happened anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought, \u2018There\u2019s no point in me living,\u2019 and \u2018I just want to die.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
Theft is by far the most common crime committed by elderly inmates, especially among women. In 2022, more than 80% of elderly female inmates nationwide were in jail for stealing, according to government figures. <\/p>\n
Some do it for survival \u2013 20% of people aged over 65 in Japan live in poverty, according to the OECD, compared to an average of 14.2% across the organization\u2019s 38 member countries. Others do it because they have so little left on the outside. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people who come here because it\u2019s cold, or because they\u2019re hungry,\u201d said Shiranaga, the prison guard. <\/p>\n
Those who fall ill \u201ccan get free medical treatment while they are in prison, but once they leave, they have to pay for it themselves, so some people want to stay here as long as possible.\u201d <\/p>\n
Across Japan, the number of prisoners aged 65 or older nearly quadrupled from 2003 to 2022 \u2013 and it\u2019s changed the nature of incarceration. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow we have to change their diapers, help them bathe, eat,\u201d Shiranaga said. \u201cAt this point, it feels more like a nursing home than a prison full of convicted criminals.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cEven after they are released and return to normal life, they don\u2019t have anybody to look after them,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are also people who have been abandoned by their families after repeatedly committing crimes, they have no place to belong.\u201d <\/p>\n
Authorities have acknowledged the issue, with the welfare ministry saying in 2021 that elderly inmates who received support after leaving prison were far less likely to re-offend than those who didn\u2019t. The ministry has since ramped up its early intervention efforts and community support centers to better support vulnerable elderly, it said. <\/p>\n
The Ministry of Justice has also launched programs for female inmates that provide guidance on independent living, substance addiction recovery, and how to navigate family relationships. <\/p>\n
The government is now considering proposals to make housing benefits accessible to more elders, with 10 municipalities across Japan already testing initiatives to support elderly people with no close relatives. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not clear whether that will be enough, in a country with one of the world\u2019s longest lifespans and lowest birthrates. <\/p>\n