To the Editor:Re “Inside a Dementia Unit in a Federal Prison” (Opinion guest essay, Aug. 13):Katie Engelhart vividly describes the absurdity and cruelty of incarcerating frail elders with debilitating dementia.
It would be a mistake, though, to conclude simply that expanding compassionate release is the answer.
As a former parole commissioner, I know that dementia is just the tip of the iceberg of the problem of mass aging behind bars.
Countless people (not just men) effectively face a slow death penalty behind bars because of extreme sentences or repeated denials of parole release despite these individuals’ complete transformations.
Far from being helpless, many are violence interrupters, mentors, scholars and artists, including people previously convicted of causing serious harm.
Persons:
Katie Engelhart