The Judiciary Confronts the Elderly Defendant: A Study of Judicial Beliefs, Attitudes and Responses Concerning Crimes Committed by Persons Sixty Years of Age and Older.

The goals of this study of the relationship between judges and elderly offenders were: (1) to describe beliefs and attitudes held by judges about the elderly and elderly delinquents, (2) to catalogue sanctions judges use and recommend as ideal for elderly shoplifters and other elderly misdemeanants, and (3) to poll judges about their willingness to accord special treatment to the elderly. Of the 112 judges sitting on Florida's County Court Bench, 97 answered a five-part questionnaire which asked about judicial beliefs, general attitudes toward the elderly, attitudes about the reasons for shoplifting, willingness to accept an intervention program for elderly offenders, and demographic information. Findings indicated that the majority of judges believe the elderly are not shown enough respect but that society does not have an obligation to help them if they need help. They recognized that the elderly suffer more during economic hard times than others but they vary in attitudes about differential treatment for elderly shoplifters. In actual sentencing judges used different sanctions but saw pretrial intervention or counseling as ideal methods. They cited psychological problems and financial need as the major causes of elderly shoplifting. Demographic characteristics of the judges did not appear to be related to willingness to use pretrial intervention. (IS)