Fear of Crime among the Vulnerable Group: A Content Analysis Study of Indian Elderly

Industrialization, urbanization and globalization have not only eroded the traditional status and decision making power of the elderly but they have also brought a number of problems before
the elderly. Today, they are facing a number of problems such as abuse, maltreatment, mental and physical torture and heedless ignominy from the family and society. These problems have affected the way of life and sense of well being of the elderly to a large extent from society as well as family. Consequently, fear of crime is being recognized as an emerging social problem among the elderly. The paper explores the impact of the social determinants in the rising of fear of crime among the elderly. The paper also identifies the victim offender relationship. Secondary data have been collected from news papers (Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Edition). These news items have been collected from April 2012 to August 2012. The news items relating to crimes against the elderly have been systematically collected and their content have been analyzed. Findings have shown that a number of elderly have murdered and victimized due to property.