September 23rd, 2026
9am – 4:30pm PDT
6.5 CEUs
The second in our Older Adults on the Margins workshop series, this course will help clinicians and others how work with formerly incarcerated older adults understand the unique challenges this population faces and how to best support them.
The correctional population is rapidly growing older, with projections indicating that by 2050, 30% will be over 50 years old. Given that 95% of the prison population will ultimately be released, people over 50 are increasingly a greater proportion of those returning. Therefore, the aim of this workshop is to delve into the challenges older adults face when leaving prison walls. We will discuss the challenges of aging in prison and its impact on successful reintegration post-release. This workshop will address challenges related to the institutionalization of older adults, navigating familial relationships, obtaining housing, securing employment, and understanding the impact of long term incarceration on mental health. This class will also address how to improve wellbeing and quality of life among older people leaving prison.
In this workshop you will:
- Learn the connections between challenges of aging in prison and the outlook for many older adults, post-release.
- Learn at least two concrete examples of nuanced challenges that older adults often face compared to their younger counterparts whenseeking
- employment post-release, trying to obtain housing, seeking social support formal/informaL
- Learn about the impacts of long-term incarceration
- Come away with actionable strategies to support formerly incarcerated older adult clients with mental health challenges
About the Instructors
Dr. Angela S. Murolo received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York – John Jay College of Criminal Justice, with a dissertation examining the impact of aging in parole. Her first book, Aging in Parole: Reentry and Reintegration Among Older Adults was published by NYU Press in 2026. Beginning in the Fall of 2026, she will be joining the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Murolo has previously held positions as a tenured professor at St. Francis College (NY), a visiting instructor at Sacred Heart University and Stockton University, a visiting lecturer at SUNY New Paltz, and a visiting assistant professor at Caldwell University.
Dr. Lena M. Campagna will be joining the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (City University of New York) as an Associate Professor in Fall 2026, having previously served as the Alvin R. Calman Endowed Chair in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Caldwell University. Dr. Campagna’s research focuses on help-seeking behaviors for individuals at various points in the criminal legal system. Her research has been published in the Journal of Community Justice, the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, the Law and Society Review, and the American Indian Culture and Research Journal. Dr. Campagna earned her Ph.D. in Sociology with a concentration in Communities and Crime from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
As a research team, Drs. Murolo and Campagna have published empirical research on the impacts of incarceration on older adults in peer reviewed outlets such as the Criminal Justice Review, the Journal of Prison Education Research, and the Journal of Qualitative Criminology and Criminal Justice. Previously, Drs. Murolo and Campagna were awarded the 2023-24 Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging Academic Grant to study community resources available for older adults leaving prison across New Jersey. Their work has also been published in NJ.com, The Conversation, and in the Academic Minute Podcast.
Dr. Carmela Maxell is a mental health professional, educator, author, and advocate dedicated to advancing mental health, trauma-informed care, and successful community re-entry. She serves as the Director of a residential treatment program within the criminal legal system, where she leads programs focused on rehabilitation, recovery, and reducing recidivism through evidence-based behavioral health services.
With more than a decade of experience as a university professor, Dr. Maxell teaches psychology and counseling while mentoring the next generation of mental health professionals. Her career spans corrections, behavioral health, substance use treatment, leadership, and criminal justice reform, with a particular focus on supporting individuals transitioning from incarceration back into their communities.
Dr. Maxell is also the author of the dystopian novel Bereavement and host of the Rooted & Rising podcast, where she explores mental health, resilience, leadership, trauma, and social justice through conversations that challenge perspectives and inspire change. Through her writing, teaching, and public speaking, she is committed to making complex psychological concepts accessible while advocating for dignity, healing, and equitable systems of care.
Bill Leach is our special guest who will speak from lived experience about the challenges faced by older adults in reentry after incarceration. Mr. Leach now works as a Life Coach helping others overcome the very difficulties he faced in reentry.
We encourage anyone working with this population to attend. You do not have to be a clinician to attend.
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026, 9:00am – 4:30pm Pacific Daylight Time. The session begins promptly at 9am and includes short breaks and a lunch break. This program will be taught over Zoom. Information and Zoom link will be sent out 1 week beforehand. Please make sure to save the link.
COST – $199 – $169 ($300 for both) if you register for both Older Adults in the Margins trainings (Training 1- Strategies of Support for Unhoused Older Adults -September 16th, 2026.) $300 for both
Organizational Discounts and Scholarships available.
Special Discount for Students! Email alisonc@soundgenerations.org for the discount code.
Please Note: For those of you with special payment arrangements or organizational group discounts, please contact Alison at alisonc@soundgenerations.org to register.
