Constructions of vulnerability in relation to older victims of crime

Older people are typically referred to as being ‘vulnerable’ to crime, but it is important to unpack what is understood by vulnerability in this context. This chapter explores this issue, informed by a rich body of quantitative and qualitative data. It seeks to better understand the experiences of older people and their relationship to crime and the justice system. It explores how many older people maintain the capacity and resilience to survive being a victim of crime, while at the same time examining how systems fail to recognise factors that make older people more likely to be vulnerable to what can be a life-altering event. It investigates data that shows that older individuals who are victims of crime are markedly less likely to achieve justice in comparison to other adults, with systemic failures in the justice system a key factor in this phenomenon. The chapter advocates for reforms that mean when older people do become victims of crime, they are treated in a manner that respects their individual autonomy, offers them any necessary appropriate supports and provides equal access to justice.