Crime Prevention Competence Among Elderly Persons: Perspectives from a National Survey

• NCJ Number: 121921
• Author(s): G O'Keefe; K Reid-Nash
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 25 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented to American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., August 1986

Annotation

While the rate of criminal victimization among the aged is clearly lower than that for other adults, the elderly appear more fearful of crime.

Abstract

The methodology for this study included personal at-home interviews with a national probability sample of 1,308 persons over age 59, using a questionnaire specifically designed for this study. Nearly a third of the national sample of elderly persons reported feeling unsafe when out of doors alone at night. Those who felt less safe either during the day or at night were women, lower income persons, and residents of more rundown neighborhood areas. A key discriminator between those who felt less safe during the day versus at night was that the former had significantly less interpersonal contact with family, friends, and neighbors. The vast majority of the respondents agreed with the statement that "people over 60 are more likely than other people to become victims of crime." The elderly stand out from other adults in believing themselves to be less knowledgeable about crime prevention and less capable of protecting themselves. Bibliography, 6 figures, 11 tables.