Examining intersections of gender, crime and age, this collection highlights how the increase in older people entering the criminal justice system has emphasised the unpreparedness of policies and practices for dealing with this cohort. Moving beyond existing research and policy which has focused primarily on those who are sentenced in later life for crimes they committed as younger adults – so called historic crimes – the chapters pay crucial attention to those who commit offences as long-term, repeat or first-time offenders in later life.
Offering an important contribution for researchers across the criminological, gerontological, feminist and elder abuse fields, Not Your Usual Suspect expands existing research to consider the behaviour and drivers of older offenders, addressing the increasingly important issue of how the needs of this group can be addressed by policy and practice.
Hannah Bows is an Associate Professor in Criminal Law at Durham Law School, U.K. Bows is Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA), Chair of the British Society of Criminology Victims Network and Associate Editor of The British Journal of Social Work