NCJ Number
93176
Date Published
1982
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Studies of violent behavior by the elderly indicate that the victim is almost always known to the offender and that the behavior is associated with psychiatric and especially organic disorders.
Abstract
Analyses of cases involving homicide or assaults by elderly persons indicate their familiarity with violence and an acceptance of it as normative behavior prior in their younger years. In other instances, the person may be mentally and physically impaired, resulting in a radical change in self-concept, self-esteem, and the way he/she is perceived by significant others. Further, there may be some provocation from the family and social network, with which the elderly are less able to cope in earlier years. A particular crisis may finally precipitate the violent behavior. While the overall incidence of crime by the elderly is low, the relative incidence of homicide and aggravated assault is high, and the percentage of elderly arrested for such crimes has risen steadily. The absence of adequate information about those elderly persons who commit murder points to the need for more comprehensive studies. Overall, from studies conducted thus far, it appears that the homicidal or violent act by an elderly person results both from an exacerbation of a lifelong pattern and from a change in behavior and life situation due to age, illness, and the decline of coping abilities. Eight references are listed.