Summary

Japan faces a growing crisis as elderly women increasingly commit minor crimes to secure imprisonment, where they find stability, companionship, meals, and healthcare.

Between 2003 and 2022, the number of female prisoners aged 65+ quadrupled. Many, like 81-year-old Akiyo, cite poverty, loneliness, and abandonment as reasons for resorting to crime.

Over 80% of elderly female inmates are jailed for theft.

Japan’s government is introducing programs to support elderly reintegration and reduce repeat offenses, but gaps in caregiving, housing, and healthcare make prison a refuge for many.

  • acargitz@lemmy.ca
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    4 days ago

    Capitalism is a death cult. People could easily solve this with a cooperative living model. But no, we have to be good little family units working for our noble masters and paying off our mortgages.

  • The_v@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    There is a very strong cultural expectation of younger generations providing care for their related elderly. I suspect the stories of why they end up abandoned and desperate are more complex than reported.

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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      4 days ago

      A lot of it can as simple as kids not wanting to live in the small towns that their parents live in to far worse.

      Japan has been undergoing deruralization for decades.

  • prole
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    4 days ago

    This literally happens in the TV show “Sunny,” set in a near-future Japan. I didn’t realize it was an actual trend.

    • w3dd1e@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      That was my first thought. I deleted my comment to highlight yours. Didn’t know it was a real problem.