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Akiyo said there are good people in Tokyo’s Tochigi Women’s Prison and that she feels life is a bit stable behind bars.
A Tochigi Women’s Prison officer highlighted that for many elderly inmates, prison provides security and companionship, making it more appealing than isolation. (IMAGE: PEXELS)
A Japanese grandmother said she deliberately broke the law so she could live for free in prison. 81-year-old Akiyo, an inmate of the Tochigi Women’s Prison in capital Tokyo’s north, said she’s found some kind of stability behind bars.
The octogenarian was jailed for stealing twice. She was first jailed for stealing food in her 60s and once more after she did it again as she found it hard to sustain herself on the meagre pension she received.
Akiyo, according to a report by broadcaster CNN, now lives with 500 inmates, one in five of whom are elderly.
“There are very good people in this prison. Perhaps this life is the most stable for me,” she said.
“I made a poor decision and shoplifted, thinking it would be a minor issue. If I had been financially stable and had a comfortable lifestyle, I definitely would not have done it,” she further added.
Akiyo faced the burden of isolation, with little support from her family.
Before her imprisonment, she lived with her 43-year-old son, whose repeated pleas for her to move out also added to her condition.
“I felt like I did not care what happened anymore. I thought, ‘There is no point in me living,’ and ‘I just want to die,” Akiyo said.
Akiyo is now free but she fears that her son may judge her.
“I am afraid of how he might perceive me. Being alone is a very difficult thing, and I feel ashamed that I ended up in this situation. I really feel that if I had a stronger will, I could have led a different life, but I am too old to do anything about it now,” she said.
Takayoshi Shiranaga, an officer at Tochigi Women’s Prison, highlighted that for many elderly inmates, prison offers a preferable alternative to facing loneliness outside. He told the broadcaster that some would even be willing to pay 20,000 to 30,000 yen (US$130 to US$190) per month to remain incarcerated if given the option.
