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Record no:

1 of 1

Author:

MOORE Stephen;

Title:

Older people, fear and crime: problems and new directions.

Reference:

Working with Older People, 14(4), December 2010, pp.16-24.

ISSN paper:

1366-3666

Abstract:

The author critically examines the fear of crime paradox, in which older people are seen as disproportionately concerned about the possibility of becoming a victim, and the explanations and policy responses that have emerged. He suggests that the fear of crime paradox has been based on an over-simplistic analysis of the relationship of crime and age. Older people should not be regarded as a homogeneous group, for example, it is a mistake to categorise 65 year olds with 85 year olds. In addition other factors, including gender, vulnerability, poverty and health should be considered. There has also been inadequate attention paid to the sorts of crimes that older people are more likely to be victims of. The author concludes that there should be a move away from focusing solely on age and crime and that older people should be placed within much broader categories that include people of all ages. For example, there is a need to investigate how crime impacts on people with different standards of income or health and to develop policies accordingly regardless of age. He comments that current policies that seek to reassure older people or to target older people’s property simply maintain the stereotypes of all older people as frail and socially isolated rather than as a diverse category overlapping with other groups in the population.

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Format:

article;

Topics:

anxiety; attitudes; crime; crime prevention; crime victims; older people; stereotyped attitudes; vulnerable adults;

Record ID:

www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/profile.asp?guid=ef14654a-45de-41f2-88ef-4cd7fea68c89