KLTV, Channel 7, Tyler, Feb. 14, 2007 Judge Cynthia Kent says in her two decades on the bench, she's seen countless cases involving older criminals. She says longer sentences are the reason the elderly population is growing so fast in Texas jails.  "In the 80's, people were getting paroled out very quickly. We had a change in the law, because as they paroled out quickly they went out and victimized society. The public was fed up with it. They said, 'No. Lock these people up and keep them there," says Judge Kent.  Sheriff J.B. Smith says another reason for the growth is that some types of crimes are more commonly reported now. "I'm seeing more sex offenders over the age of 55 that are being prosecuted and sent to prison, but I think that one of the big reasons for that is that children are reporting it more," says Sheriff Smith.  Regardless of the reason, the elderly prison population is in fact growing, and their medical care costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year.  The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston provides medical care for about 80 percent of the offenders in Texas jails.