Elderly offenders in Hong Kong

Abstract

The rapid increase of elderly offenders and aged prisoners has provoked various problems for many governments in particular generating a huge financial burden to the criminal justice system. In the U.S., the overcrowding of elderly prisoners has led the government to review its current penal policies. In China, various rehabilitation programs have been adopted by the government and new facilities have been built in particular to serve old age prisoners. The worldwide traditional views on the penology to treat elderly offenders has been changing in order to suit the contemporary needs of the public. Hong Kong faces the similar problem of elderly offenders. This study investigated the elder offender situation in Hong Kong. Through interviews with ex-elderly offenders and surveys from focus groups and the public, the possible causation of elderly crime and the associated issues were identified. Furthermore, Hong Kong’s diversion scheme for elderly offenders, The Chief Superintendents’ Discretion Scheme (CSPD), was also studied in detail and comments from police officers responsible for the scheme were obtained allowing for an in-depth review of the effectiveness of the scheme. Dominant criminological theories were used for the in-depth analysis in the research, and variables were identified for the reasons behind the crimes committed by the elderly. By considering such variables and evaluating the CSPD Scheme, recommendations are made on how to deal with the problem of elderly offenders in Hong Kong.