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Older adults are now the fastest-growing population in the country – by 2030, 25% of the U.S. population will be over 60. This trend also impacts the public safety profession, a phenomenon known as the “graying of corrections”. At the Middlesex (MA) Jail and House of Correction alone, about 10% of the people incarcerated are aged 55 or over, double the population seen just one decade ago. As this population grows, corrections agencies across the U.S. are increasingly seeking to address their unique needs and better prepare them for re-entry into the community. And yet, a recent scan of the U.S. found no existing units that dealt with this reality.

In March of 2025, Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian and the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office launched the Older Adult Reentry Unit (OAR), a first-in-the-nation dedicated housing unit for individuals age 55 and over who are at a higher risk of recidivism and re-entry related challenges upon release.

Designed from the ground up with this population in mind, OAR features targeted physical plant improvements, specialized treatment programs, and specially trained officers supporting a unit purposely built to improve the wellness of these older adults.

This seminar will demonstrate how the OAR can serve as a replicable correctional model for addressing the needs of an aging population. This presentation will walk through the research supporting the needs of older adult inmates, as well as the development of the OAR and the MSO’s substantial partnerships with several colleges and universities, including the Boston University Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Services, the UMass Boston Gerontology Institute, the University of Wyoming, and North Carolina State University.

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