NCJ Number
83595
Date Published
1981
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Victimization survey data are used to examine the crime victimization rate for the elderly in the Netherlands in comparison to other age groups, as well as the elderly's relative fear of crime, reporting of crime, and attitudes toward crime control.
Abstract
The average Dutch citizen has a comparatively small chance of becoming a crime victim. The elderly and retired people are least likely to be victimized. Victimization decreases with age for nearly all types of criminal offenses. The following cluster of attitudes and perceptions prevails among the Dutch elderly: (1) a repressive attitude toward crime, accompanied by alarm about crime as a social problem; (2) a perception that the causes of crime are in the individual and not in social circumstances; and (3) a positive attitude toward the police (mixed with misgivings about their effectiveness). The elderly's comparatively low level of education rather than their age per se appears to be the determining variable influencing this cluster of attitudes and perceptions. The elderly, more than other age group, are likely to report their victimization to the police. Fear of crime is not greater among the elderly, unlike findings in the United States. Projected increases in crime in the Netherlands are not likely to affect the elderly, since most of the expected increase will be in public order offenses and offenses that customarily victimize younger persons. The low victimization rate among the elderly and their relatively low fear of crime is most likely due to the elderly's infrequent contact with crime-prone youth and their restricted lifestyles. Tabular data, 36 footnotes, and 40 references are provided. (Author summary modified)