Older prisoners have more security and medical needs than the average prisoner. When mental institutions closed, the mentally ill ended up in prison rather than being sent to a place of treatment. Additionally, the cost of supporting an elderly, sick or mentally ill prisoner is three times that of an average prisoner. If older prisoners were given intermediate penalties for incarceration, the prison system would not be as overcrowded and there would be more beds available for violent criminals. This would also help cover costs. Elderly prisoners pose little or no risk to society, as many of them are wheelchair-bound or suffer from terminal illness..