The Nation - News from Nov. 23, 1987

Elderly Americans are half as likely as younger people to become crime victims, and the violent crime rate against the elderly has declined 50% since 1973, the government said. However, when crimes are committed against elderly victims, the crimes tend to be more serious, concluded the study by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. From 1980 through 1985, elderly violent-crime victims were more likely to face offenders with guns than were younger victims--16% compared to 12%. The study found that 20% of the victims aged 75 or older required medical treatment after a serious crime, such as a robbery, assault or attempted rape, compared to 11% of violent crime victims who were 65 to 74 years old and 13% of those younger than 65. But overall, those 65 and older had the lowest victimization rates of any age group in the country starting with age 12. The average number of violent crime victims per 1,000 people was six for those who were at least 65; 11.3 for those from ages 50 to 65; 34 for those 25 to 49, and 67.5 for those 12 to 24.