Japan’s prisons are holding more older inmates

Japan’s population is aging rapidly. We’ve been looking into some of the ramifications of Japan’s aging population with our partners at the BBC. But living longer doesn’t necessarily mean living well. In Japan there is a bit of an old-age crime wave born out of desperation and poverty. Almost 20 percent of Japan’s prison population is now over the age of 60. Compare that to the United States, where only 6 percent of prisoners are of advanced age.

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