Crime and Victimization of the Elderly

by Ezzat A. Fattah, Vincent F. Sacco

Overview

Crime and Victimization of the Elderly provides a "state-of-the-art" review of the social scientific literature relating to the crime problems of older persons. Building upon a broad interdisciplinary base, the volume addresses a wide range of issues that will prove to be of interest and value to criminology and gerontology students and to practicing professionals. The book is divided into two major sections. The first focuses upon elderly offenders and the second is devoted to a discussion of elderly victims. All of the major topics normally covered in the criminology and victimology courses are given detailed consideration. These include: the nature and types of crimes committed by the elderly, theories of elderly crime, criminal justice reactions to the older offender, patterns of elderly victimization, explanations of elderly victimization patterns, fear of crime among older persons and the abuse of the elderly in domestic settings. The chapters provide a critical assessment of the formative as well as the most recent empirical research conducted in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. Each chapter includes lists of suggested readings and each major section includes an extensive list of bibliographic references. This book is an invaluable resource to criminologists, gerontologists and social service professionals as it raises questions and defines issues vital to an understanding of the elderly and their association with various aspects of crime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387969732
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	06/23/1989
Edition description:	1989
Pages:	310
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

I: Crime and the Elderly.- One: Who are the Elderly?.- The Aging of the North American Population.- Gender and the Marital Status of the Elderly Population.- The Plight of Older People in Western Society.- Two: Age as a Criminological Variable.- Explanations of the Decline in Criminality with Advancing Age.- How Much Crime Do the Elderly Commit?.- What Offences Do the Elderly Commit?.- Is the Elderly Criminal an Academic Invention?.- Three: Offences the Elderly Commit and their Explanations.- Explaining Elderly Crime.- What Role do Mental Disorders Play in Geriatric Criminality?.- Examining Specific Offence Patterns.- Conclusion.- Four: The Elderly Offender and the Criminal Justice System.- The Elderly Offender in the Hands of the Police.- Prosecutorial Discretion and the Processing of Old Offenders.- Diversion of the Elderly Offender.- The Elderly Offender in Court.- Five: The Elderly Offender in Prison.- Incarceration and Older Criminals.- Negative and Positive Effects of Imprisonment on Elderly Inmates.- Problems of Elderly Offenders In a Prison Setting.- Six: Responding to Elderly Criminality: Sentencing, Punishment, Prevention.- A Tenative Typology of Geriatric Offenders.- Sentencing the Elderly Offender.- Punishment and the Elderly Offender.- Preventing Elderly Crime.- Bibliography: Part I.- II: Victimization of the Elderly.- Seven: Age as a Victimological Variable.- Elderly Victimization: Cultural Images.- Age and Victimology.- The Victim as Decision-Maker.- Data on Elderly Victimization.- Summary.- Eight: General Patterns of Elderly Victimization.- The Findings of Victim Surveys.- Fraud and the Elderly.- Explaining General Patterns of Elderly Victimization.- Conclusion.- Nine: The Cost of Elderly Victimization.- Estimating the Costs of Victimization.- The Empirical Investigation of Victimization Costs.- Coping with the Costs of Victimization.- Summary.- Ten: The Indirect Cost of Elderly Victimization.- What is Fear of Crime?.- Fear of Crime Among the Elderly.- The Correlates of Fear of Crime.- Fear of Crime Among the Elderly: Some Theoretical Issues.- Conclusion.- Eleven: The Mistreatment of the Elderly in Domestic Settings.- The Problem of Elder Abuse and Neglect.- Patterns of Elder Mistreatment.- Explaining Elder Mistreatment.- Summary.- Twelve: Crimes Against the Elderly: Policy and Planning.- Crime and Victimization Policy.- Elder Mistreatment: Policy and Problems.- Politics and Policy: What Should be Done?.- Bibliography: Part II.

Editorial Reviews

The old as victims and as criminals: a review of the research. No index. For criminologists, gerontologists, and social service students and professionals. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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