Not all Texas prison inmates - even those convicted of murder, sexual assault, drug crimes and other serious charges - are dangerous. Some are just old and sick.

The aging prison population across the United States, while suddenly drawing headlines from across the country, has been on the radar screens of prison officials and lawmakers for several years, as state and federal institutions are filling rapidly with more and more prisoners, many of them having significant and costly medical problems.

Texas is right in the mix when it comes to relevant - and sobering - data. According to Texas prison statistics, inmates 55 and older comprise just over seven percent of the state's total prison population of about 160,000, yet they are responsible for nearly one third of the medical costs spent on inmates. Moreover, while the average annual hospitalization costs for a prisoner under 55 come to about $765, the figure balloons to $4,700 for each inmate over that age.

There is more. The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics reveals that this problem is mushrooming as older inmates enter prisons in disproportionate numbers. That agency's numbers show an 18 percent increase in the general prison population over a recent 10-year period, but a 76 percent increase during the same time for prisoners 55 and older.

Future debate will certainly center prominently on ways to decrease inmate populations and control costs. In the meantime, a growing number of inmates spend more time in walkers, wheelchairs and hospital beds than they do in prison work details or the exercise yard.

Related Resource: www.wlns.com "Aging inmates straining prison systems" August 16, 2010