Francis Clifford Smith, considered the oldest prisoner in the United States, died on June 25, 2026, at the age of 101. He spent around 70 years behind bars after his execution was postponed eight times.
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His problems with the law began when he was just 13. In 1950, when he was 25, Smith was convicted of murdering a night watchman. He had been arrested alongside another person, who testified against him and, in return, received a lighter sentence.
Smith always denied involvement in the murder. Doubts grew after witnesses withdrew their initial statements, while another person admitted to killing the night watchman. For this reason, it remains possible that Smith was not at the crime scene at all when the murder took place.
His death sentence was repeatedly postponed and, in 1954, was commuted to life imprisonment.
Despite these circumstances, Smith remained in prison for nearly seven decades, becoming the person who had spent the most years behind bars in the history of the United States, the BBC reported.
During that time, he was released for short periods on three occasions. In 1967, he escaped and remained free for 12 days before being recaptured. In 1974, he spent Christmas Eve at home but returned to prison that same day. A year later, in 1975, he was released on parole, but was arrested again 10 months later for possessing a weapon.
While incarcerated at Osborne Correctional Institution in Connecticut, Smith also fed the birds.
“He hid as much bread as he could in his clothes, and everyone pretended not to see him because they knew the bread was for the birds,” people who knew him said.
Smith refused parole opportunities for many years. It was only in 2020, when he was 95, that he was released and placed under supervision in a nursing home.
The growing number of elderly prisoners is not a phenomenon limited to the United States. However, the problem is more pronounced in the country because of the proportionally high number of people in prison.
According to studies, between 1991 and 2021, the number of prisoners over the age of 55 increased fivefold. It is also predicted that by 2030, one in three prisoners will be over the age of 50.
Experts propose that elderly people or those with serious health problems who are no longer able to cope with harsh prison conditions should be released on medical or age-related grounds. However, the number of facilities that accept elderly former prisoners remains limited.
