Crimes against the elderly - Research Paper Example

The vulnerability of its members sets this section of the population apart from other age groups that are also concerned about crime. Going out at night alone; walking alone; living alone; traveling unfamiliar routes alone; doing their banking; inside or outside at automated teller machines; going to and from parking lots to do their shopping. Even doing something as simple as answering their telephones (Montague, 2009). Scores of the crimes committed against the elderly are signs of what is happening to the population in general.

While many kinds of crime could involve any age group, a few categories, frauds and scams, pick pocketing, purse snatching, theft of checks from the mail and crimes in long-term care settings are committed more to the older than younger victims, AARP studies have indicated in a recent survey. Reports of brutal crimes multiply fast through the mature community and affect that section of the population dramatically. Although statistics show that brutal crime against the elderly is uncommon as compared to other age groups, many older people pose great fear of physical harm.

The crimes committed against the elderly are discussed below. The first type of crime is property crime. This involves invasion of an elderly person’s living house and destroying his/her possessions, which may lead to economical and emotional destruction. Sometimes the loss of possessions may not be as destructive as the feeling of insecurity in those living houses after the incident (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008). The other type of crime is frauds and swindles against the elderly. Loss of money can be serious for anyone with limited financial possessions, but for many older individuals, it can be more devastating.

Some of the elderly people are even at higher risks to fraudulent schemes than the younger groups. While it is not easy to draw general conclusions, various combinations of factors contribute to victimization,