NCJ Number
125354
Journal
Aging Issue: 341 Dated: (October-November 1983) Pages: 20-24
Date Published
1983
Length
5 pages
Annotation
A rehabilitation program called the Broward Senior Intervention and Education Program was established in Broward County (Fla.) in 1979 to provide a voluntary alternative for offenders age 60 and over who have been arrested and tried for first-offense, misdemeanant shoplifting.
Abstract
The program aimed to prevent recidivism and to provide the courts with a more humanitarian and socially constructive means of dealing with the elderly shoplifter. The program combines individual counseling with participation in either social and cultural activities or volunteer work at local hospitals, libraries, and elementary schools. The program has no official legal status, but it is accepted informally by the legal community and is widely used. A 1981 survey of 191 clients of the program found that few offenders had serious health problems or had suffered the loss of a spouse or close friend, but that offenders tended not to take part in religious, fraternal, or service associations despite their longtime residence in the community. The results to date show that the program offers a viable alternative for coping with the growing problem of elderly shoplifters. Details on each phase of the program and 11 reference notes.