Emotional and Behavioral Consequences of Violent Crime on Elderly Victims

• NCJ Number: 72178
• Author(s): N Feinberg
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 304 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. University of Pittsburgh - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

An exploratory-descriptive research study was made of the first 50 elderly victims of robbery, burglary, or sexual assault who received services from the Allegheny County Center for Victims of Violent Crime.

Abstract

Data were gathered from the agency's case records, interaction, observation, and face-to-face interviews by the research. Instruments were developed to document the distinguishing crime vulnerablity characteristics of these victims as well as the characteristics of the offenders and the incident. Other factors studied included the victims' informal and formal support systems and their response to these systems. Correlational patterns suggested a strong relationship between the victims coping with the incident and their own self-reliance and religious supports. Even so, victimization proved to have overriding emotional, physical, behavioral, and economic consequences for the majority of the sample. Thirty-eight percent of them had been victimized before the present victimization studied. Some had been victimized as many as five times previously. The findings of the study have broad policy implications. Attention should be given to disseminating information on crime prevention and protection against crime. Other needs of the elderly focus on intervention. Many need advocacy services to guide them through both the medical crisis and the legal proceedings. Other recommendations include developing mechanisms for restitution before the offender enters the criminal justice system and greater consideration on the part of the criminal justice system for these elderly victims. It is recommended that further research on elderly victims be continued so that the crime statistics be more reflective of the often severe crime protection needs of the elderly. Five appendixes present the interview forms, a definition of terms, Senate Bill 153 on victim compensation, a letter from a victim, and a bibliography. A total of 200 references are included. (Author abstract modified)