How Is Elder Abuse Perceived in the Courtroom?

I a scenario very similar to other forms of abuse (e.g., child abuse), elder abuse has changed from a subject rarely discussed to a national dilemma that gains media headlines. The exposure of elder abuse also has led researchers to take greater interest in this topic. Researchers have investigated elder abuse with regard to defining the problem, identifying victims, identifying abusers, and describing why elder abuse occurs (see Bonnie & Wallace, 2003). One area of research, however, has received very little attention: the perception of elder abuse in court. This lack of research does not reflect the number of elder abuse cases, which continues to grow, but may reflect the paucity of cases that ever reach trial (Hafemeister, 2003; NCEA, 2006). The latter may be due to police officers and prosecutors historically being reluctant to become involved in family abuse cases, preferring that social service agencies handle these cases rather than prosecuting the abuse (Chermak, 1993). One justification for researching elder abuse in a legal context is that increasing knowledge about how jurors perceive various types of elder abuse cases may prompt an increase in these cases reaching the courtroom. For example, if research showed that prosecuting elder abuse cases led to convictions, victims may be persuaded to move forward with reporting these crimes, and prosecutors may be more willing to pursue these cases in court (Daniels,