“Forty-some years I’ve been on paper”: Navigating probation in later adulthood

Abstract

Older adults are a rapidly growing population within the criminal legal system, prompting new scholarship about the consequences of a “graying” prison population. Less studied, however, has been the impact of an aging population for the larger share of adults under community supervision. Drawing on interviews conducted in 2019 with 44 adults aged 50 years or older on probation in Minnesota, we explore how aging shapes the experiences and meaning of supervision. Our findings show that older adults on probation experienced chronic instability, significant health concerns, and often lengthy criminal legal entanglements. Building on the framework of hypermarginality, we argue that aging is an under-appreciated axis of vulnerability for people with criminal legal system involvement. By studying older adults’ distinct experiences, scholars can better locate the role of probation in contemporary poverty governance.