Crime, Abuse and the Elderly

Mike Brogden, Preeti Nijhar

Routledge, Jan 11, 2013 - Social Science - 200 pages

This book examines and analyses the experiences of older people as both victims and perpetrators of crime. Drawing upon a wealth of research from British and North American sources, the authors detail the historical experience of the elderly as victims, the extent of present-day criminal victimisation in the home and institutions, the social theories which attempt to explain that experience, and the types of resolution available.

The book also addresses the experiences of elderly people in the criminal justice process - the offences to which they are prone, and the implications for penal policy of an increase in the elderly penal population.

Crime, Abuse and the Elderly breaks new ground in its focus on the experiences of elderly people as criminal victims in private space, its insistence on a proper engagement of criminology with crimes involving older people, and in its argument that much so-called abuse can be explained criminologically and should be dealt with by the criminal justice system rather than by treatment and welfare agencies. It will be essential reading for students, academics and professionals concerned with the experiences of the elderly.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• 1 Abuse Versus Crime in Criminological History: 7
• 2 The Mythologies of Elderly Victimisation: 24
• 3 Stereotyping the Elderly as Victims: 37
• 4 Victimisation in Private and Public Space: 48
• 5 Old People and the Fear of Crime: 62
• 6 Victimisation in Private Space the Household and Care Institutions: 76
• Gender and the Political Economy of Older People: 95
• Organisation Power Neutralisation and Labelling: 113
• Is there an Elderly Crime Wave?: 124
• Experience of Arrest and Detention: 137
• 11 Conclusion Towards a Criminology of the Elderly?: 151
• Bibliography: 155
• Author Index: 177
• Subject Index: 183

About the author

Mike Brogden is an Honorary Professor at the Department of Applied Social Science, University of Lancaster, UK.

Preeti Nijhar is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Bangor, UK.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Crime, Abuse and the Elderly; Routledge Advances in Maritime Research
• Authors: Mike Brogden, Preeti Nijhar
• Publisher: Routledge, 2013
• ISBN: 1135990344, 9781135990343
• Length: 200 pages
• Subjects: Social Science / Criminology