NCJ Number
92716
Date Published
Unknown
Length
53 pages
Annotation
Data for this descriptive study were gathered from a 1974 Washington, D.C. sample survey of the larger National Crime Survey. A secondary analysis was performed to provide a demographic profile of the elderly residents of the District of Columbia who were criminally victimized, to identify the circumstances surrounding the victimizations, and to determine the rate at which criminal victimizations against the elderly were reported to the police.
Abstract
Interviews were conducted at 9,541 housing units, a participation rate of 92.8 percent. Excluding the 62 elderly persons victimized at commercial establishments, 201 of the 233 victimized elderly were victimized once, 29 twice, and 3 were victimized on 3 occasions. Persons 60 to 69 years accounted for 68 percent of all victimizations. Blacks were disproportionately victimized. More women were victimized, but men had a higher victimization rate. Household (property) crimes outnumbered personal crimes almost three to one. Personal crimes of theft exceeded personal crimes of violence. Those aged 60 to 69 years were more likely than the oldest among the elderly to attempt to protect themselves. Only 11 of the 233 elderly victims suffered injuries; all were alone at the time of the incident. The majority of offenders were young black males, unknown to their victims. Victims reported more personal than household crimes, but 46 percent of the elderly failed to report their victimization to the police, believing that nothing could be done. The data suggest that the elderly might benefit from participation in Neighborhood Crime Watch programs and that, whenever possible, they should seek company when traveling.