The Causes and Correlates of Crime Committed by the Elderly

There is a need to understand the variables that influence the illegal behavior of older persons, and whether these predictors differ from those of younger age groups. This article attempts to address these issues through a review of the relevant literature. An analysis of elderly-specific theories of crime provides few suggestions where one might anticipate different predictors for older versus younger persons. And a comparison of research on youths with results from surveys of the general population indicates that the causes and correlates of crime generally do not change as individuals grow older.