Murder of the Elderly - An Analysis of Increased Vulnerability

• NCJ Number: 89790
• Journal: Omega Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (1982-83) Pages: 27-34
• Author(s): S Kunkle; J A Humphrey
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Revised version of a paper presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, November 1979.

Annotation

Murder among the aged is rising faster than in any other age group in the United States. According to this study, in North Carolina, the sole rise in homicide is among the elderly.

Abstract

The sharpest increases are noted among older black women, white women, and white men. An exception to this trend are black men, previously the highest risk group of older adults, who showed a decline in homicide victimization. The study investigated the vulnerability of older persons to murder, using data on all homicide victims 60 years of age and older in North Carolina during 1972-73 and 1976-77. Available evidence for the United States indicates that the elderly are considerably less prone to criminal victimization than are younger persons. This is especially true for aggravated assault. Dussich and Eichman have posited that the relative low visibility of the elderly, due to social isolation and lack of mobility, make them less vulnerable to crimes against the person, but the study data from North Carolina do not support this theory. Tables and 21 references are included. (Author abstract modified)