New York’s prison population has dropped nearly in half since 2008, but the share of incarcerated people age 50 and older remains elevated, according to a new report from the state comptroller.
The February 2026 analysis found the total prison population declined 48 percent between 2008 and 2025, with one-third of that drop occurring during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between March 2020 and March 2021 alone, the population fell by 10,861 people, a 26 percent decline. The number of incarcerated individuals age 50 and older fell by 1,603 people, or 17 percent, during that same period.
Because the overall population shrank faster than the older group, the share of prisoners age 50 and over peaked at 24.3 percent in 2021. By 2025, that share stood at 22.3 percent — still higher than the 21 percent recorded in 2019.
The report shows a sharper aging trend among the oldest groups. Since 2008, the number of incarcerated people ages 60 to 69 increased 64 percent through 2020 and has continued to edge up. Those age 70 and older also grew in number and now account for 2 percent of the prison population.
In 2025, 62 percent of incarcerated people age 60 and older were serving time for violent offenses. The average age of the state’s prison population reached 40.2 years old in 2025, up four years since 2008.
Releases among older individuals have declined. In 2024, 23.1 percent of incarcerated people age 50 and older were released, compared with 37.5 percent in 2019.
At the same time, conditional releases — those granted after good time credits are applied — now make up a larger share of releases for older people. Between 2019 and 2024, the share of conditional releases among those 50 and older rose 14 percentage points to 48.6 percent.
When older individuals do return to the community, they show low recidivism rates. Among those released between 2008 and 2021, the three-year recidivism rate for a new felony offense was 3.3 percent for people ages 60 to 69 and 1.7 percent for those 70 and older.
The report also highlights rising health care costs. As the prison population shrank, per-person health care spending rose from $5,850 in state fiscal year 2013 to $13,923 in state fiscal year 2025, a 138 percent increase. Total prison health care costs reached $450.6 million in fiscal year 2025.
The comptroller’s office said the demographic shift raises policy questions about parole, health care spending and long-term prison operations as the state confronts an aging incarcerated population.
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