Elderly Crime Victims

• NCJ Number: 147186
• Date Published: March 1994
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Series: BJS Selected Findings
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Survey

Annotation

Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey in 1992, this report analyzes victimization of persons age 65 or older and notes that elderly persons consist of 14 percent of persons age 12 or older surveyed but report less than 2 percent of all victimizations.

Abstract

Persons ages 12-24 have the highest victimization rates for all types of crime, while those age 65 or older have the lowest. The violent crime rate is nearly 16 times higher for persons under age 25 than for persons over 65. According to the FBI, 5 percent of the murder victims in 1992 were age 65 or older. The elderly appear to be particularly susceptible to crimes motivated by economic gain. In addition, injured elderly victims of violent crime are more likely than younger victims to experience a serious injury. Elderly victims are also more likely than younger victims to have assailants who are strangers. Elderly victims of robbery and personal theft are more likely than younger victims to report those crimes to the police. Additional findings, tables, and source of additional information