NCJ Number
138582
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article examines the nature and effects of conventional crimes against the elderly as well as the abuse and neglect of older people in Australia.
Abstract
Analyses of patterns of the more conventional crimes committed in Australia and overseas show low levels of victimization of the elderly. Although the elderly are particularly fearful of street crimes such as robberies and handbag snatching, elderly persons constitute the least likely age group to be victimized by these crimes. Perpetrators of fraud often target the elderly because they tend to be isolated and trustful. The elderly may also suffer as a result of unethical corporate conduct short of outright criminality. The elderly are rarely victims of violent crime. The elderly being cared for in the home by family members or in institutions may experience psychological abuse, economic abuse, physical abuse, or neglect. Given the low levels of actual victimization of the elderly and the inordinately high level of fear of crime among the elderly, an appropriate focus of policy toward the elderly is the reduction of the fear of crime. Such strategies should focus on reduction in the social isolation of the elderly, the promotion of security measures, reassurance, and education on the actual risk of criminal victimization. 2 tables and 32 references