New bill targets criminals who prey on seniors, disabled people

A new bill in the Legislature would create a crime of victimization for anyone found to have committed a crime against a senior citizen or a person with disabilities.

Older Americans are disproportionately impacted by scams and fraud, the most widely reported kind of elder abuse, according to the FBI. The bill would make it a new crime to target adults over 62.

“People with criminal minds are making a living off of vulnerable people because they’re easy marks or easier targets, and I think that should be a crime in itself,” said bill sponsor Sen. Owen Henry (R-Middlesex). 

Under the bill, if someone commits a first-degree crime, the victimization charge would also be in the first-degree. If someone commits a second-degree crime, the victimization charge would be in the third-degree. Someone found guilty could face prison time.

Henry said he’s seen more news reports recently of elderly and disabled people being preyed upon, whether it’s an attack on the street or via phone scams. He even knows people who have lost money by giving someone credit card information over the phone after being lied to that a family member was in jail. 

“It’s just more and more prevalent,” he said. “It’s horrible, and people to prey upon the elderly and the disabled, to me, should face stiffer penalties.”

According to the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime, up to 83% of women with developmental disabilities are assaulted in their lifetime, nearly 50% higher than the rest of the population. People with developmental disabilities are also more likely to be revictimized, and more than half never seek legal or treatment services.

The measure, introduced in November, has not faced a hearing in either chamber. Henry said he’s hopeful he can get bipartisan support for it and get it to the governor’s desk by the end of the year.

Another bill in the Legislature would also create a separate offense of financial exploitation of the elderly. That bill received unanimous support in the Senate but has yet to be scheduled for a committee hearing in the Assembly.