ELDERLY CRIMINALS - A STUDY OF THE 1ST CRIMINAL OFFENSE IN OLD-AGE

Although the majority of criminal offences are committed by young persons, about 1% of crimes have been reported in men over 65 years of age. Among prison populations association between old age and mental illness is often reported. We decided to evaluate all first-time criminal offenders in the greater Tel Aviv area aged 65 years or older. Each person against whom the District Attorney brought forth an indictment in the period 1987-1992 was interviewed by a psychiatrist specializing in psychogeriatrics. Twenty-six males males and two females were thus evaluated. Their average age was 69.2 years (range 65-80). Forty-three per cent of the offences were of a financial nature, and serious violence presented in 10.7% of the cases. Fifty per cent of the study's series suffered from a neuropsychiatric disorder, dementia and personality disorders accounting for half of those.