Geriatric criminality and its implications for the criminal justice system /

Abstract

In today's society there are two distinct systems ofjustice, the adult system and the juvenile system. Each system has its own procedural process. These systems are not only different procedurally, but each has different policies, procedures, and sanctions that are imposed. Within the adult system, there is a group of people with different problems and needs that must be addressed from a different standpoint than the rest of the adult population. That group is the geriatric or elderly population. There is an age variable that should be factored into the justice process when adjudicating and sanctioning the elderly for criminal behavior. In analyzing adult criminal behavior, society tends to address behavior through standard criminological theoretical content analysis and administer justice accordingly. This justice can be, and is often, biased. The classification of inmates into a four quadrant typology by age and length of sentence shows an appearance of age biases in relationships to resource allocation, behavior, and programming. This study proposes and supports the use of this four quadrant typology that would acknowledge an age variable when studying age specific problems within the criminal justice system that addresses the special needs of the elderly.