E.A. Fattah and V.F. Sacco. Crime and Victimization of the Elderly. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1989, pp. 310.

Abstract

This is two books in one. The six first chapters deal with elders as criminals, the last six with elders as victims of crimes. Each part is written as a whole and seems to have been written by only one author. The visual as well as the intellectual presentation differs from one part to the other. While the first part stresses a more psychological approach, the second one is definitely written from a sociological point of view. The first part is not up to par with the last one. It is much less critical and relies more on American data which are sometimes contradicted by the recent Canadian data, as is the case with respect to elder poverty. The authors agree that the whole problem of crime and victimization of the elderly may be one which was artificially created by gerontologist and other professional interests. They argue that insisting on the pseudo problems of crime and victimization of the elderly may serve the intersts of some professionals while leaving unaddressed, and perhaps even mystified, the more basic issues that confront the elderly within the contest of contemporary generational arrangements.