NCJ Number
189934
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 45 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 363-382
Date Published
June 2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined how members of the following groups in Virginia perceived the need to impose legal sanctions on those who commit acts that may be legally defined as elder abuse: nursing home administrators (n=138), nursing home staff (n=132), police chiefs (n=179), and criminal justice and sociology students (n=127).
Abstract
Nursing home staff and police chiefs were mailed surveys, and students were asked in person to complete the same survey. Respondents were asked to read elder abuse scenarios and rank the appropriateness of the following sanctions: 1 year in jail or prison; 3 years on probation, a $1,000 fine, and 50 hours of community service; and a reprimand from the supervisor. Respondents ranked the offenses in order of severity. Using ANOVA, univariate comparisons were made across the four groups for each scenario to determine how the four groups compared. Police chiefs perceived robbery of an elderly person as the most serious offense; whereas, all of the other groups perceived slapping an elderly patient as the most serious offense. Police chiefs viewed administrative reprimands as less appropriate than the other sanctions in each of the scenarios, and the other groups viewed reprimands as at least somewhat appropriate. Also, police chiefs were more likely to support incarceration in some of the scenarios than the other groups. This article includes a discussion of experiential and organizational explanations of the findings. 4 tables, 5 notes, and 45 references