Geriatrics is a discipline of healthcare that deals with the challenges and illnesses that occur with getting older, as well as the medical care and therapy of the elderly. Establishing a distinct system for the elderly, often known as a geriatric court, is one option to address a variety of social issues. Advocates of the idea of geriatric court claim that elderly offenders are significantly distinct from other perpetrators and should be treated differently in the court system (McNamara & Burns, 2021). Furthermore, the costs of punishment are generally higher for senior offenders (McNamara & Burns, 2021). Supporters of the geriatric court additionally argue that authorities should be more liberal in sentencing, police forces should be more permissive, and correctional facilities should have a compassionate and caring approach to punishment (McNamara & Burns, 2021). In fact, the reasoning is that treating criminals in a one-size-fits-all manner promotes neither community nor the individual. An approach related to complete standardization in the justice field can include numerous imperfections (McNamara & Burns, 2021). A geriatric court could potentially lead to improvements and advancements in fulfilling the requirements of the aging population.
At the same time, it is feasible to state that the idea of establishing geriatric courts possesses disadvantages and direct opponents. Critics of the methodology connected to geriatric courts, on the other hand, contend that criminal classifications cannot be made based on actual biological age (McNamara & Burns, 2021). In other words, whether an individual is eighteen or eighty, they are ultimately accountable for their positive and negative actions (McNamara & Burns, 2021). This concept is plainly compatible with the just deserts theory, which asserts that everyone is similarly responsible and accountable for their decisions and should be penalized in proportion to their conduct (McNamara & Burns, 2021). Thus, specialists assume that no changes should be implemented due to social status or age differences. In addition, the senior demographic group’s increased medical and psychiatric demands can place additional strain on correctional institutions, which can struggle to address the basic and practical needs of older convicts. Psychological health and general medical treatment for the elderly necessitate specialized on-site or consultative experience in geriatric medicine, as well as possible infrastructural upgrades, all of which might be extremely expensive.
In the United States of America, juvenile justice refers to a set of federal and municipal court-based institutions that deal with youngsters that come into contact with police departments and are accused of disobeying the law. An analogous system was formed for the elderly since a precedent for a distinct system for juveniles had previously been formed, and the specific demands and challenges of older criminals are identical to those of juveniles (McNamara & Burns, 2021). The juvenile justice system is analogous to the geriatric crime issue in that society perceives the younger generation as being distinct from adults when they commit violent crimes (McNamara & Burns, 2021). As a result, this system differs from the adult criminal justice system in that it inflames the offender’s responsibility while still keeping youth accountable (McNamara & Burns, 2021). Thus, a geriatric court can be used in a fashion similar to the juvenile justice system by considering the substantial differences that an elderly person possesses due to internal and external conditions. At the same time, it is compulsory to preserve the status of total responsibility since a crime is a serious violation of the law.
Reference
McNamara, R., & Burns, R. (2021). Multiculturalism, crime, and criminal justice. Oxford University Press.