Crimes Against the Elderly Essays -- Ethical Issues, Adult Population

The rapidly increasing population of elderly people has been accompanied by a number of challenges to the elderly, communities, and the state. The frequency of victimization of the elderly through various crimes has escalated with the criminal justice system facing increasing pressure to curb this trend. Despite all states having legislation that target protecting the adult population from crimes, wide gaps in reporting of crimes against the elderly are evident across the nation. The elderly have increasingly become more vulnerable to physical, financial, and emotional abuse. In many cases, citizens who are aware of these abuses may fail to report to the police or the elderly people themselves may fear engaging in legal battles. Many of the crimes perpetrated against the elderly to a considerable extent reflect the general state of affairs as far as criminal activities are concerned. However, some categories of crimes are more prevalent among the elderly. This paper shall discuss th ese categories of crimes in light of the manner and forms in which they occur. In addition, the paper shall allude to the existing gaps in reporting and efforts by the criminal justice system, and what needs to be done in order to bridge the gap. According to the results of a recent study, the elderly people are facing an increasing frequency of abuse including widespread cases of financial exploitation and domestic violence. A salient factor which has been cited as aggravating the situation is the limited social services which the elderly people are receiving. This has been caused by little public interest as well as financial constraints facing the economy. In addition, the issue of crimes against the elderly has not received adequate attention as... ...e elderly to a conclusive end. This alludes to the need to see cases of elder abuse being prosecuted and the offenders facing the appropriate punishment. This would send a message to other offenders out there that any crime against the elderly would be met with full force of the law. Therefore, agencies whose work revolves around law enforcement need to take an active role (Tabachnick, 2009). At the same time, there needs to be adequate funding towards nationwide campaigns aimed at sensitizing people on the issue of crimes against the elderly and the steps they need to take in order to make the fight successful. With regard to sensitizing the population, the media has to come up and highlight the reality of this problem. The media has the capacity to make this problem attract the attention it deserves (Tabachnick, 2009).