(MIDDLESEX, Mass.) — To step inside the Older Adult Re-Entry unit, or OAR, at the Middlesex County, Massachusetts, jail is unlike entering any jail in the United States.
The walls are adorned in a soothing paint color, and there is fitness equipment, specially designed beds in cell units, better lighting so older inmates do not fall and a puzzle-making table to “stimulate the mind cognitively,” according to Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian.
OAR is designed for inmates who are over the age of 55 and need to get ready to reenter the public, but Koutoujian said older inmates have different needs than younger ones who get released into the community.
“We designed this unit from the ground up with the unique needs of this population in mind, from treatment programs focused on specific needs of this population, cognitive behavioral treatment, social enrichment, education and occupational therapy,” he said, adding that the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office worked with researchers from Boston University to have the older inmate population’s best interests in mind.
Older inmates make up about 10% of the jail’s population, and entry into the program is voluntary. OAR serves both those who are awaiting trial and those who are set to be released in the next few months or years. There are 20 inmates currently in the unit, which just launched in March.
He said OAR helps stimulate inmates minds with different classes and activities to prepare for their reentry into society.
“This is much more than just: This is how to get a job, this is how to get your driver’s license back, this is how to do these basic things that we deal with everywhere in our facility,” he explained. “This is about how to live your life so that you can live more happily, more safely and longer. [It] is much different than any other unit in the entire country for those very reasons.”
In working with researchers, Koutoujian found that older men need friendships to live healthy lives.
“We’ve seen much more research recently showing especially men, as they age, become more socially isolated. It impacts them mentally and physically and affects their mortality,” he said.
“I’m trying to make sure that they are more aware of so that it’s not just the fact that we’re giving them this lesson, but what are the activities they can engage in?” he added. “They can build new relationships, new friendships, new support systems, healthier social networks. That is a critical part to this population’s reentry.”
The sheriff said he believes the program, with the research and data OAR is collecting, can be replicated throughout the country.
“What do the incarcerated individuals in the unit get out of it? They get a great deal out of it, and let’s just say, what do the officers that are involved in this unit get out of it? They get a feeling of well-being, of partnership, of doing something good,” he said.
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