Chicago Sun Times
CHICAGO — Convicted sex offender George Todd entered the Illinois prison system on Tuesday to begin serving seven years -- which for him likely will be a life sentence.
Todd, 85, is one of the older inmates to enter the state’s prison population, prison officials said.
The Barrington area man was sentenced last month for molesting a 14-year-old girl. He must serve about five years behind bars before being eligible for release.
Todd is an extreme example of what is becoming increasingly common across Illinois and the country: increasing numbers of aging inmates.
The number of men and women in state and federal prisons 55 and older grew 76 percent between 1999 and 2008, rising from 43,300 to 76,400, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. During that time, the entire prison population grew only 18 percent.
In Illinois, the change was even more extreme.
The number of inmates at least 55 years old more than doubled -- rising about 130 percent from 916 in 1999 to 2,113 in 2008, according to state statistics. The total prison population rose only about 2.6 percent during the same time, reaching 45,545 inmates in 2008.
“We’re seeing the prison population aging,” said Sharyn Elman, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections. “The 20-somethings are still coming in, but we’ve been seeing more of an aging population.”
Experts say stricter sentencing laws are boosting prison populations, particularly with older inmates who may have a history of previous convictions that ultimately leads judges to impose lengthier sentences.
That’s not the case with Todd, however.
He faced a mandatory prison term of four- to 15 years after pleading guilty earlier this year to criminal sexual assault. Todd admitted molesting the girl several times in 2009 while she worked at his property.
Given the offenses Todd committed, there was no acceptable alternative to prison, even at his advanced age, said prosecutors, who asked only for an “appropriate sentence.”
“This defendant was 85, but he deserved to go to prison,” Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Waller said. “It’s the only factor in his favor -- that he was older.”
Many older inmates are imprisoned in the Dixon Correctional Center because of its medical facilities, she said, adding that Todd will be evaluated for several days at the Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet before being assigned to a prison.
Wherever Todd serves his sentence, he will be among the oldest inmates. State records from 2009, the most recent year available, show only 11 inmates in the state are 80 years old, and the oldest listed was 85.
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