The purpose of the story is to give a glimpse of what it is like to be a elderly woman behind bars. The source of all information in the article comes from Mrs. Harris, in an interview. Prison changes who people are, that is the lesson learned from this article. Elderly inmates are a forgotten minority, but in recent years their numbers are growing. To lessen these numbers in some areas there have been counseling centers set up to counsel the elderly in stead of sending them to jail for minor crimes.
Segregation is an issue in prison when talking about elderly.
One side believes this would be good, for the prisons could make programs, education, and policies to suit the elderly. On the other side it may be unhealthy for elderly to not live wit the rest of the population. There is also a problem with security that warns away from, a segregated prison, since a vast majority of elderly on prison are there for committing homicide. Addressing the needs of elderly offenders. Prison populations are on the rise across the country, of these new inmates many will serve long sentences.