Pennsylvanians Rally for Medical Parole at the State Capitol

Last week, people from across Pennsylvania gathered at the Capitol in Harrisburg to demand justice and compassion for incarcerated elders. We called on elected officials to support HB 150, which would offer medical parole for sick people in prison.

The rally, organized by Straight Ahead, brought together advocates, family members, and legislators calling on elected officials to support the bipartisan measure sponsored by Rep. Rick Krajewski. If enacted, HB 150 would create a pathway for release for incarcerated people facing serious and chronic health challenges—people who are not a threat to public safety and who deserve to live out their days in their communities. 

Right now, 27% of people incarcerated in Pennsylvania are geriatric, and our prison system is utterly unequipped to meet their medical needs. As Rep. Krajewski reminded those gathered, this failure is not only inhumane—it’s also financially unsustainable. Pennsylvania taxpayers spend nearly $400 million each year on elder care within prisons, where facilities were never designed to serve as nursing homes or hospitals.

Keeping sick and aging people locked up does nothing to make our communities safer. It only deepens suffering and diverts public resources that could be invested in health care, housing, education, and true community safety. We cannot accept a government that doesn’t support mercy for aging people in prison. 

That message resonated throughout the halls of the Capitol. We were grateful to Rep. Tim Briggs, Rep. Chris Rabb, Rep Ismail Smith-Wade-El , and Rep Dan Frankel for joining the call for compassion and reform, standing alongside families and advocates who have long fought for change.

As Celeste Trusty of FAMM Foundation said: “We are knocking down the walls of the prisons brick by brick, and we won’t stop until we’re all free.”