Loneliness of the elderly in Japan: women prefer prison

Loneliness of the elderly in Japan: women prefer prison

In Japan's largest women's prison, the Tochigi Women’s Prison, many older insassers live. Her hands are wrinkled, her back bent. Slowly they stroll through the corridors, some support themselves on walking aids. Nurses support you in swimming, eating, walking and taking your medication.

the prison and his inmates

But this is not a old people's home - rather the in -between structure reflects the aging society of Japan and the widespread problem of loneliness, which according to the guards is so acute for many older prisoners that they would rather remain in custody. "There are even people who say that they would pay 20,000 or 30,000 yen ($ 130-190) a month to be able to live here forever," said Takayoshi Shiranaga, an official from the Tochigi Women’s Prison, during an extremely rare visit to CNN in September.

a stable life behind bars

In the light pink walls and the strangely peaceful halls of the detention center, CNN met Akiyo, an 81-year-old insassin with gray hair and age spots. She was sitting in prison for shop theft of food. "There are very good people in this prison," said Akiyo, who is identified under a Pseudonym for data protection reasons. "Maybe this life is the most stable for me."

The women in tochigi live behind bars and have to work in prison factories and workshops, which fits some of them. You will receive regular meals, free medical care and geriatric care - together with the company that you lack outside.

isolation and poverty

an insassin, Yoko, 51 years old, has been detained five times for drug offenses in the past 25 years. Every time she comes back, the prison population seems to get older, she said. "(Some people) deliberately make something bad and can be catched to get back to prison when they have no more money," said Yoko, who also remains anonymous for data protection reasons.

Akiyo knows the burden of isolation and poverty too well. This is your second stay in prison; Before that, she was detained in her 60s for food robbery. "If I had been financially stable and would have maintained a comfortable lifestyle, I would definitely not have done it," she said. With her second theft, Akiyo lived from a "very small" pension that was only paid every two months. When she had less than $ 40 and had to wait two weeks until the next payment, "I made a bad decision and steel food because I thought that would be a little problem". However, their criminal record led to prison sentence.

The motivation behind the theft

With little family support, Akiyo had stopped taking care of the future or thinking about what would happen to her. Her 43-year-old son, who previously lived with her, often said: "I wish you would just disappear." "I felt like I was no longer concerned about what could happen," she said. "I thought, 'It has no sense that I live' and 'I just want to die.'

theft is by far the most common crime committed by older inmates, especially among women. In 2022, over 80% of the older female occupants were detained nationwide for theft, so Official numbers.

The challenges according to detention

The number of prisoners who are 65 or older is almost quadrupled in the entire Japan from 2003 to 2022 - and that has changed the type of detention. "Now we have to change their diapers, help them swim and eat," said Shiranaga. "It now feels more like an old people's home than a prison full of convicted offenders."

Another problem is the lack of support for former occupants when they return to society, said Megumi, a guardian in Tochigi. "Even after being released and resuming a normal life, they have no one who takes care of them." There are also people who have been left by their families after repeated crimes and have no place to belong.

The authorities have recognized the problem. The Ministry of Social Affairs said in 2021 that older occupants who were supported after their release become significantly less relapsed than those who do not receive this support. Since then, the Ministry has strengthened its early intervention efforts and the community centers to support endangered older people.

future prospects for older occupants

The government is now considering, suggestions for dwelling" to make it easier for older people, and 10 municipalities in the whole Japan already test to support older people without close relatives.

The rapidly changing age structure becomes clear when you consider that Japan will need 2.72 million nursing staff by 2040, so Government information . The government tries to bring more people to this industry and to win foreign workers to fill the gaps. In Tochigi, it is already actively asked to ensure that inmates help with nursing qualifications to other older prisoners.

YOKO, the 51-year-old insassin, acquired her nursing qualifications during her last sentence. Now she supports other inmates if there is not enough prison staff for the care of the older inmates.

Akiyo ended her detention in October. In a conversation with CNN a month before she was released, she said that she was with shame and was afraid of facing her son. She planned to apologize and ask for forgiveness, but said: "I'm afraid of how he could perceive me." "Being alone is a very difficult thing, and I am ashamed that I ended up in this Situation. I really feel that I could have lived a different life with a stronger will, but I'm too old now to change something."