Last year, Fordham’s Be the Evidence Project uncovered a crisis: the American prison populating is aging and the correctional system is unprepared to function as a long-term health care facility.
This year, the Be the Evidence Project is amplifying its efforts to spread the word.
The Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) Be the Evidence Project will host a town hall event to update participants on the problem of aging prisoners. Jamie Fellner, senior advisor from Human Rights Watch and author of the report “Old Behind Bars: The Aging Prison Population in the United States,” will present her research on medical parole and compassionate release laws in America.
Wednesday, Oct. 10
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
McNally Amphitheatre, Lincoln Center Campus
113 West 60th Street, New York, N.Y.
“The focus is to bring awareness and professional training to the public,” said Tina Maschi, Ph.D., assistant professor at GSS and founder of Be the Evidence. “Last year we held forums, and this year we’re focusing on town hall speakers and a professional training series to bring in experts and hear from participants.”
The event, which is free and open to the public, marks the one-year anniversary of the groundbreaking “Aging Prisoners Forum: A Crisis in Need of Intervention,” hosted Oct. 8, 2011 at Fordham.
This year’s series—which features practitioners, researchers, and advocates—kicked off on Sept. 15 with a day of discussion, including a presentation by formerly incarcerated older adults on their struggle to reenter society.
To register for the Oct. 10 event, click here.
