NCJ Number
133599
Date Published
1991
Length
18 pages
Annotation
While age brings with it a lower risk of becoming a homicide victim, some alarming trends emerge when age and gender-specific homicide rates are disaggregated by the victim/offender relationship and precipitating circumstances.
Abstract
Homicide data were obtained from the Supplementary Homicide Report prepared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of its Uniform Crime Reporting program. Time trends for elderly homicide victimization were examined for the 1976-1987 period. It was found that elderly persons between 55 and 64 years of age were most likely to be victims of conflict-related homicides, whereas those aged 65 and over were more likely to die during the commission of another felony. Elderly persons in the 55-64 year age group had the highest homicide rate in the context of acquaintance relationships. For the population aged 65 and over, stranger homicides were the most common type of murder. Homicide victimization of the elderly reflects their unique living conditions. On the one hand, the higher proportion of the elderly who are forced to live in low-income housing in inner cities places them at higher risk of burglary and robbery and of being murdered during the commission of these crimes. Conversely, the elderly's preponderance for living alone may also act as a buffer from homicides by intimates. The lifestyles of the elderly may thus act to decrease their risk of victimization for the types of homicide most common among other Americans, while it increases their risk for stranger homicide. Elderly Americans appear to be particularly susceptible to homicide that are motivated primarily by economic gain. The findings have important implications for research into elderly crime victimization. 20 references, 2 tables, and 2 figures