In Japan, a country where the elderly make up about 29.3% of the population (equivalent to 36.25 million people in 2024), a strange and controversial phenomenon has emerged in recent years: some elderly individuals are intentionally committing minor crimes to be sent to prison. They see prison as their last refuge—a place that provides at least basic necessities, food, and healthcare compared to the loneliness and poverty outside prison walls.
According to local reports, prisons such as the women’s prison “Tochigi” north of Tokyo have seen a significant increase in the number of prisoners over the age of 65. This number has nearly quadrupled between 2003 and 2022.
Prisons Are Turning into Nursing Homes
As reported by the Monte Carlo International news platform, prison officials explain that this age group sometimes requires full assistance with daily tasks, including changing clothes, bathing, and feeding. This situation makes the duties of prison staff resemble care in a nursing home.
According to a report by the American magazine “Bloomberg,” the annual cost of housing a prisoner in Japan exceeds $20,000, and this cost is even higher for the elderly due to their special medical needs.
Minor Thefts in Exchange for a Secure Life
Based on a video report by CNN, the elderly choose prison because, compared to facing cold and hunger outside prison walls, “they feel safer inside.” Additionally, prison guarantees them access to free medical care—a cost they had to bear themselves in normal life.
One female prisoner who had resorted to stealing food to make ends meet emphasized that if she had financial stability, she would never have done this, and prison provided her with psychological and material stability that she could not find in her daily life. Official government statistics show that in 2022, over 80% of elderly female prisoners in Japanese prisons were incarcerated for theft charges.
It should be noted that about 20% of Japan’s elderly live below the poverty line, while the average for the 38 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is 14.2%. According to these elderly individuals, this situation has made prison a realistic option for survival.
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