NCJ Number
204445
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: 2003 Pages: 180-203
Date Published
2003
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study examined how crime prevention activities in Sweden have framed the problem of crime against the elderly in terms of character, causes, effects, and solutions.
Abstract
The study used data collected from the Swedish city of "Middletown" to analyze the construction of the problem of crime against the elderly. Middletown's local crime prevention council initiated a campaign to educate seniors about crime prevention measures in the year 2000. The campaign was prompted by a local survey on safety that revealed that many elderly citizens were afraid to visit the town center. Data were collected through participant observations, interviews, and analysis of a film produced by a local crime prevention council. The analysis of the messages of the campaign found that the messages to seniors were both complex and contradictory. In an effort to relieve unreasonable fear of criminal victimization, seniors are advised that they are the least likely of all age groups to become crime victims. At the same time, they are warned to beware of strangers who may be stalking them or attempting to enter their homes through various deceptions. This invokes fears of ever-present, mysterious strangers who prey upon vulnerable seniors. The causes and interventions associated with crime against the elderly focus on general explanations of crime, notably drug abuse and juvenile delinquency. Little attention is given to the specific crimes and crime causes that relate to the elderly as a group. A likely consequence of the crime prevention messages for seniors is that they will become even more suspicious of strangers and become more socially isolated, which tends to increase the irrational fear of crime. 48 references