After decades of advocacy, prosecution of elder abuse has increased, a trend that is likely to continue. However, the increased scrutiny of elder abuse has raised questions about the consequences of prosecution on victims, perpetrators, and society, calling for a careful analysis of when and how the criminal justice system intervenes in these cases. To understand the nature and characteristics of elder abuse perpetrators, the article briefly reviews three sources of administrative data on perpetrators, followed by a concise review of the perpetrator research, most of which does not draw from criminal justice samples. To explain how the criminal justice system responds to elder abuse perpetrators, the article describes the criminal justice system's philosophy, the careful balancing of multiple factors when exercising prosecutorial discretion and provides a compilation of criminal justice responses that may be available to prosecutors in elder abuse cases. Recommendations for improvements in administrative data and increases in the quantity and quality of perpetrator research are presented. Where prosecution may be warranted, this paper argues that prosecutors would benefit from having a range of pre- and post-charging perpetrator interventions available. Filling research gaps identified in this paper could form the foundation for developing targeted criminal justice responses that both address the underlying causes of perpetrator criminal behavior and consider victim's wishes and may ultimately increase the safety and well-being of older adults and the communities in which they live.

经过几十年的倡导，对虐待老年人的起诉有所增加，这一趋势可能会持续下去。然而，对虐待老年人行为的日益严格的审查引发了人们对起诉对受害者、犯罪者和社会的后果的质疑，要求仔细分析刑事司法系统何时以及如何干预这些案件。为了了解虐待老年人肇事者的性质和特征，本文简要回顾了有关肇事者的行政数据的三个来源，随后对肇事者研究进行了简要回顾，其中大部分研究并非来自刑事司法样本。为了解释刑事司法系统如何应对虐待老年人的肇事者，本文介绍了刑事司法系统的理念，在行使起诉自由裁量权时仔细平衡多种因素，并提供了检察官在虐待老年人案件中可能使用的刑事司法应对措施汇编。提出了改进行政数据和增加肇事者研究的数量和质量的建议。本文认为，在可能需要起诉的情况下，检察官将受益于对犯罪者提出指控前和指控后的一系列干预措施。填补本文确定的研究空白可以为制定有针对性的刑事司法对策奠定基础，这些对策既解决犯罪行为的根本原因，又考虑受害者的意愿，并可能最终提高老年人及其所在社区的安全和福祉。居住。