- Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association
This March, the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office unveiled a game changer in the way we think about older inmates' incarceration conditions, across the country. The office debuted the Older Adult Re-Entry (OAR) unit within the jail, for those in custody who are 55 and older, which makes up about 10 percent of the Middlesex jail's population. Staff noticed these inmates have different needs than others who get released into the community. That’s when the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office created a partnership and collaboration between Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and University of Massachusetts Boston to develop the groundbreaking initiative.
Starting back in 2023, the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office worked alongside BU and UMass to design both the physical space and inmate programming for this population. The OAR unit includes a dorm-style layout customized for 55-plus in mind. Walls are soothing colors, beds are raised for easier access and single bunks have specially designed mattresses for better support. Reflective markers, in the shape of footprints, are in place on the floor to help address spatial disorientation. Grab bars and non-slip floors are in the bath stall to help reduce fall risks. The unit also includes fitness equipment, special chairs, and library with games and puzzle-making tables to stimulate the mind cognitively.
Mental health is also at the center of the program. The universities helped design, develop and implement a multifaceted programmatic approach for the older inmates that includes cognitive behavioral treatment, social enrichment, education and occupational therapy. OAR helps stimulate inmates' minds with different classes and activities to prepare for their reentry into society specifically designed for their age and physicality at the forefront.
For example, recent research has shown that people, especially men, as they age, become more socially isolated. At OAR inmates learn that socialization impacts them mentally and physically and affects their mortality. The program at its root is designed to reduce isolationism, foster pro-social behaviors, reduce memory loss, promote lifelong learning, and develop the cognitive and executive functioning skills to improve odds of a successful reentry.
OAR serves both those who are awaiting trial and those who are set to be released in the next few months or years, and entry into the program is voluntary. There are 20 inmates currently in the unit. Each underwent an assessment to determine eligibility, ranging on a number of factors from medical condition to discipline history. The maximum capacity is 33, so even at full-scale operation OAR will not house the jail’s entire older adult population.
The end result has been getting an incredible response from corrections professionals in the jail as well as inmates housed in OAR. The Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office is collecting extensive data on the outcomes of the OAR program and has been approached regionally to expand the concept and hope that the program will ultimately be a national model.
Learn more about OAR
