NCJ Number
90049
Date Published
1979
Length
104 pages
Annotation
This review of 119 police programs for the elderly covers victim and witness assistance, crime-related services, and considerations for police planning.
Abstract
The section on victim and witness assistance describes both police-based victim services and alternate agency victim services for the elderly. Police programs in Rochester, N.Y.; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Evanston, Ill., are briefly described. These programs provide direct long-term services to victims and witnesses, beginning with the incident and continuing through the court process. Using both sworn and civilian personnel, these programs illustrate a variety of service and advocacy strategies for police-based victim-witness programs. The survey responses indicate that many different public and private organizations administer victim assistance programs. Where services are targeted primarily for the elderly, the federally-designated Area Agencies on Aging are often key resources. Regardless of the age of service recipients, however, police and other criminal justice personnel are essential sources of support for effective programs. Crime-related Services reviewed cover Operation Identification, security devices, home security inspections, crime prevention and public education, noncrime-related services, and community involvement. Considerations for police program planning focus on program personnel and research, development, and training, including intra-agency and interagency cooperation. Appended are the survey questionnaires, program materials and descriptions, and a selected bibliography of 53 listings.