Since the 1980s, prison officials, policymakers and researchers have witnessed an astonishing phenomenon in the USA, UK, Japan and Germany: Increasing numbers of older adults are entering the criminal justice system and in particular prison, finding themselves locked behind steel doors and razor wire fences. So much so, that researchers and policymakers are beginning to turn their attention to examining policy issues such as economic costs, housing, end-of-life issues and institutional management of older offenders. This chapter explores this neglected yet increasingly important topic of older offenders. Older people have been stereotyped as ‘harmless’, ‘vulnerable’ and ‘victims of crime’; however, less is known about older people who are criminal offenders.