Rights of Older Persons

Led by JASA and carried out in collaboration with Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP), the Parole Preparation Project (PPP), and the Osborne Association, SOAR-CCS supported older adults returning home from prison through services, leadership development, and policy education. The SOAR-CCS partner organizations collectively have decades of experience supporting older adults in the process of leaving prison and settling in community. Brookdale was the storytelling partner in this collaboration.

Brookdale created “Time Served,” a digital project featuring the stories of eight older adults who came home after decades of incarceration. The goal of the project is to challenge popular perceptions and assumptions about who formerly incarcerated people are. The stories we present complicate stereotypes, show the capacity for change across the life course, and highlight the structural barriers older adults face both inside and after release. Time Served is now live on Instagram at @time_served_project.

As part of the SOAR-CCS project, JASA delivered health navigation and evidence-based chronic disease programs, Osborne expanded its services that target older people in prison, and PPP expanded its outreach inside prisons, while RAPP cultivated policy and advocacy leaders. We intend for the collection of stories published through the Time Served project to serve as an ongoing platform for advocacy, policy engagement, and future storytelling with older adults impacted by the prison system.

This project was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as part of a financial assistance award totaling $750,000 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ACL/HHS or the U.S. Government.