NCJ Number
83560
Journal
Aged Care and Services Review Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (1980/1981) Pages: 1,20-31
Date Published
1981
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Research dealing with crime and the elderly was reviewed to determine rates of victimization among the elderly, fear of crime among the elderly, and available intervention programs.
Abstract
For most types of crime, the rate for people 65 years and older is less than for six other younger age groups. However, elderly people experience relatively high rates of personal larceny with contact and robbery with injury. Predatory crimes constitute over four-fifths of all personal crimes committed against the elderly. Nevertheless, fear of crime is high among the elderly, especially among older women, blacks, the poor, the isolated, and poorly integrated members of communities. Fear of crime is associated with negative feelings but not clearly with reduced mobility. Explanations for the contrast between the extreme anxiety over crime and the smaller effects on behavior include the theory that elderly persons respond with mobilization behavior rather than avoid the source of fear. Feelings of security in the elderly can be enhanced by efforts that increase actual or perceived competence, that teach control, and that enhance the degree of social relatedness of older people. Programs currently being provided for older Americans include educational efforts, services such as check-cashing and transportation to minimize vulnerability, assistance to victims, and efforts to organize communities. Evaluation efforts are needed to determine the relative merits and problems of each of these interventions. Tables and a list of 53 references are provided.