Book Review: Crime and Victimization of the Elderly
| Author | Jenny Schwarz |
| DOI | 10.1177/026975809100200106 |
| Published date | 01 September 1991 |
| Date | 01 September 1991 |
International Review of Victimology, 1991, Vol
. 2, pp
. 73-84
~
73
0269-7580/91 $10
© 1991
A B Academic Publishers-Printed in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS
CRIME AND VICTIMIZATION OF THE ELDERLY
.
Ezzat Fattah
and V
.F
. Sacco
. Springer Verlag
; New York 1989
. 310 pp
. US$30
.
Both sides of the coin of the criminology of the elderly
perpetrator and
victim
are examined in
Crime Victimization of the Elderly
.
Although
divided into two distinct sections : `crime and the elderly' and `victimiz-
ation of the elderly', many of the comments and observations transcend
the barrier
.
The common themes are that the elderly are involved less in criminal
activity either as victims or instigators than are young adults, and that the
elderly may well be managed differently by law enforcement agencies and
the media than are their younger counterparts
. In such limited research, it
is almost impossible to draw any rational conclusions regarding elderly
criminality and victimization
.
Crime Victimization of the Elderly
raises the question whether the
elderly should be considered a distinct criminologic group
. A number of
elderly offenders are just young criminals who have grown old, but distinct
patterns of criminality do commence in later life
. Likewise, victimization
patterns are not necessarily age specific but are related to factors which are
more common in the elderly such as poverty, dependency and social
isolation
. In this spectrum of criminology crossing age barriers, the
segregation of the elderly appears inappropriate
. But the contributors
present evidence suggesting the elderly may be disadvantaged when
involved in mainstream justice systems
. However, having discussed both
sides of this question, they fail to answer it
.
The contributions rely predominantly on American and Canadian data
;
thus non-North American readers who are not conversant with these
justice and legal systems may find the information difficult to analyse and
the publication's relevance outside North America to be of doubtful value
.
Although sufficient research has been undertaken, the editor has included
a number of conflicting studies in a non-critical fashion which makes it
difficult to determine the major issues and potential solutions
.
Another area of concern is the definition of `elderly' which the various
contributions take as 55 years, an age which would not be considered
appropriate in other areas of gerontology or geriatric medicine
.
Overall the book summarizes the current literature regarding the
criminality and victimisation of the elderly and thus provides a good basis
for assessing what has been done so far and what the directions for further
research may be
. It presents the elderly as a heterogeneous population and
constantly acknowledges how ageism and stereotyping are impeding a
rational approach to the management of elderly criminals and victims
;
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