According to Bureau of Justice statistics, the number of people over the age of 50 incarcerated in federal and state prisons has skyrocketed in the past two decades, from 33,499 in 1990 to nearly 200,000 in 2008. This growing elderly population portends significant hardship for people both inside and outside of prison. Correctional institutions around the country are only beginning to grapple with the financial and structural implications of their aging prison populations. While some states are experimenting with sentencing readjustment reforms, others are simply building geriatric units in current facilities.  

Jessica Pupovac will explore the causes of this emerging crisis, the range of current responses, and the possible alternatives in an effort to inform public debate and contribute to a more humane criminal justice system. 

Pupovac is a freelance reporter and the editor of Booster, a weekly Chicago Journal newspaper covering politics, business and community news. Her work has appeared in Prison Legal News, the Chicago Defender, the New Standard News, In These Times, the ChiTown Daily News and AlterNet, among other publications. Pupovac's reporting on the ongoing struggles of victims of police abuse in Chicago has contributed to the growing movement to demand new trials for those victims.

Her work has also shed light on the prevalence of solitary confinement in prisons across the country, scrutinized the military's failed attempts to address sexual assault within its ranks, and explored a range of national policy issues, from ballot access to immigration reform. She earned a BA from the University of Illinois in 1999.

Chicago, IL