The determination of the characteristics of crimes against elderly by family members on the basis of prosecution files

Z naraščanjem števila prebivalstva dramatično narašča tudi število starejših ljudi v sodobni družbi. Ker gre pri staranju za zapleten proces, ki vpliva na zmanjšanje gibalnih in funkcijskih sposobnosti osebe, so starostniki nemalokrat žrtve različnih kaznivih dejanj. Magistrsko delo se osredotoča na značilnosti kaznivih dejanj nad starejšimi, ki so bila storjena s strani družinskih članov. V družini, ki velja za varno okolje, so starejši lahko viktimizirani na različne načine, in sicer fizično, psihično, finančno, spolno, ali pa so žrtve zanemarjanja. Starejši ljudje so pogosto odvisni od družinskih članov, med njimi je vzpostavljen zaupen odnos, kar žrtvam preprečuje, da bi ukrepali zoper svoje najbližje. Za starejše, ki so fizično šibkejši in bolj ranljivi od mlajših starostnih skupin, so lahko posledice viktimizacije še posebej resne. V raziskovalnem delu so predstavljene ugotovitve, ki temeljijo na analizi podatkov, pridobljenih iz kazenskih spisov okrožnih državnih tožilstev v Krškem, Kopru, Kranju, Mariboru, Murski Soboti, Novi Gorici, Novem mestu, na Ptuju ter v Slovenj Gradcu. Medtem ko med oškodovanci prevladuje ženski spol, so obdolženci večinoma moški. Oškodovanke obdolžencev, s katerim največkrat bivajo na istem naslovu, ne prijavijo takoj, torej ne gre za enkraten dogodek. Kadar so pristojni organi obveščeni o kaznivem dejanju, so najpogosteje naznanitelji oškodovanci ali drugi družinski člani. Večino obdolžencev policija predhodno še ni obravnavala zaradi drugih kaznivih dejanj. Oškodovanci so izpostavljeni različnim oblikam viktimizacije, ki pa ni vezana na spol obdolženca. Tako kot se pri moških obdolžencih različne oblike viktimizacije ne pojavljajo enako pogosto, tudi ne velja, da so ženske obdolženke največkrat odgovorne za razne oblike zanemarjanja.Drastic increase in the number of inhabitants reflects in the increase of the elderly in the modern society. It is not rare that the elderly are victims of numerous criminal offences because ageing is a complicated process that influences the decrease in both, physical mobility and functional abilities. This master’s thesis focuses on criminal offences on the elderly committed by family members. Family is supposed to present a safe harbour, yet the elderly could be victimized in several different ways - either physically, psychologically, or sexually. They are also often neglected. The elderly are often dependant on family members and since the relations among them are based on trust, the victims cannot act against their relatives. Therefore, the consequences of victimization could be specifically serious because the elderly are physically weaker and more vulnerable than younger age groups. The research part of the thesis introduces the findings that are based on the analysis of data by District State Prosecutor\u27s Office in Krško, Koper, Kranj, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo mesto, Ptuj, and Slovenj Gradec. The victims are most often women, whereas the accused are predominantly men. Furthermore, the victims do not report the accused immediately, which proves that it is not a one-time criminal act. Most often, the victims or other family members inform the competent authority about a criminal act. Mostly, the accused have not been charged with any criminal acts before. There are several types of victimisation which is not linked to the gender of the accused. Different types of victimisation by men do not occur at the same frequency. Similarly, it cannot be presumed that female defendants are most often responsible for any kind of neglect