NCJ Number
94548
Date Published
1984
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The scant amount of available data on alcohol-related crime among the elderly suggest that operating a vehicle under the influence (OUI) is most prevalent among elderly offenders followed by public drunkenness.
Abstract
Liquor law violations trail behind. In all, however, older adults account for a small proportion of alcohol-related crime, though for a much larger proportion of these than for other crimes. Absolute numbers of OUI and liquor law violation have increased consistently and markedly since 1972, although they fell and rose several times in the interim. These data do not necessarily reflect changes in criminal behavior. There has been a growing tendency to 'decriminalize' alcoholism and alcohol-related crimes. Other influences on the data are bias problems in collecting official data, a growing proportion of older versus younger persons in the general population, a tendency of police not to arrest older offenders, and a possible disguise of local, regional, rural, urban, and suburban variations because of the aggregated data. Overall, it can be seen that there is no epidemic of crime among the elderly and that the proportion of elderly participation in all three crimes has remained stable over the years. A study by the Boston University School of Medicine of a Maine's new OUI law contrasted samples of drivers in Maine and Massachusetts. Responses to the study questionnaire indicated that adult drivers 55 and over were more likely to abstain from alcohol than were younger ones and less likely to drive after drinking. Suggestions are made for improving data on the elderly and alcohol-related offenses. Twenty-six references are provided.