NATION
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
THE ITEM
A5
Study shows nearly half of black men arrested by age 23 NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly 50 percent of black men and 40 percent of white men are arrested at least once on non-trafficrelated crimes by the time they turn 23, according to a new study. One of the authors of the study published this month in the journal “Crime & Delinquency� said the statistics could be useful in shaping policy so that people aren’t haunted by arrests when they apply for jobs, schools or public housing. “Many, many people are involved with the criminal justice system at this level,� said Shawn Bushway, a University at Albany criminologist. “And treating them all as if they’re hardened criminals is a serious mistake.� The peer-reviewed estimates didn’t rely on arrest records but instead on an annual federal Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of about 7,000 young people who answered questions each year from 1997 to 2008 on a range of issues — including if they had ever been taken into custody for something other than a traffic offense. Self-reported crimes ranged from underage drinking to violent assaults.
The authors found that by age 18, 30 percent of black men, 26 percent of Hispanic men and 22 percent of white men have been arrested. By 23, those numbers climb to 49 percent for black men, 44 percent for Hispanic men and 38 percent for white men. Among women, 20 percent of blacks, 18 percent of whites and 16 percent of Hispanics were arrested at least once by age 23. Further research on the arrests themselves, convictions and recidivism rates are in the works, said the study’s co-author, University of South Carolina criminology professor Robert Brame. “Among criminologists, I don’t think they’re that surprised or alarmed by the findings,� Brame said. “The alarm and concern is among people not as familiar with the patterns.� The last time a similar estimate was made was in 1967, when researchers using statistics reported to the FBI found that by age 23, 34 percent of all men would have been arrested at least once. Brame and Bushway’s estimate for all men is 40 percent.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dequan Wright, left, 19, is led from a hearing Sept. 6, 2013, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., after being arrested in connection with the death of a New York City toddler shot in his stroller, according to authorities. According to a new study, nearly half of black men and 40 percent of white men nationally are arrested at least once on non-traffic-related crimes by the time they turn 23.
Spotting elder abuse becomes new NYC doorman duty BY JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press Writer NEW YORK — New York’s doormen are being enlisted as an army of eyes to look for signs of elder abuse: a stranger picking up the mail, the sudden presence of a rarely seen relative with an attitude, a bruise. “Doormen know everything that’s going on,� Joy Solomon said before conducting a training session for doormen, porters and other apartment workers, fittingly held over the din of whirring dryers in the laundry room of a Manhattan building. “They know who’s going in, who’s going out. They have access, and they have a relationship of trust. They’re a friendly face.� Solomon, director of the Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home in the Bronx, partnered with the building workers’ union in a grantfunded program to help doormen spot various kinds of elder abuse — physical, sexual, psychological and financial. The training, which began several years ago, has been broadened to include others who come in contact with isolated seniors, such as Meals-on-Wheels delivery workers. An online version is in the works that could spread its message throughout the union’s coverage area, from Massachusetts to Florida. Every new set of eyes counts. The National Center for Elder Abuse says lack of detection makes it impossible to know the extent of elder abuse. Solomon quoted from a 2011 study that said only about 4 percent of elder abuse incidents in New York are reported. As an example of
what can happen, she told the gathering of about 15 doormen and other workers of a woman whose son stole her prosthetic leg and sold it for drug money. “It got him money, and it kept her isolated and dependent on him,� Solomon said, adding that the man eventually drove the elderly woman into poverty,
and she now lives in a shelter. Javier Rosa, who works the 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. shift at a building, said he knows from his own experience that this is an idea that can work. “There’s an old lady, sometimes she comes down late at night, she just wants to talk,� Rosa said. “She knows I’m here, she has nobody
else, she trusts me. If something was wrong, I would know. I would never let anything happen to her.� Solomon said work-
ers should trust their gut feelings: “If you think something is going on, you’re probably right.� She urged the work-
FREE
VETERANS SPACE Available to Both Veteran & Spouse
Call NOW to Reserve Your Space
BUYING GOLD
803-773-6237
EVERGREEN & HILLSIDE
EVERYDAY Paying Top Dollar in Sumter
MEMORIAL PARKS
JEWELRY WHOLESALE
/ (VJHOBSE %SJWF r 4VNUFS 4$ -JNJUFE 5JNF 0GGFS $FSUBJO 3FTUSJDUJPOT "QQMZ
& 8FTNBSL #MWE t 778-1031
QUICK REFUND TAX SERVICE
ers to be on the alert for signs of physical decline, mental confusion and depression, which can increase a tenant’s vulnerability.
Patient Education Series
EARLY FILING COUPON FOR NEW CLIENTS $
25.00 OFF Low Prep Fees Free E-Filing
294 N. Bultman Dr. Sumter, SC 803-775-7498 r Walk-Ins Welcome
Lexington Medical Heart Center is pleased to present a FREE quarterly education series featuring medical topics that are important to your Sumter community.
When Seconds Count SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A HEART ATTACK TUESDAY FEBRUARY 4TH @ 6:00 p.m.
AUTO PLUS PARTS SUPPLIER
Guaranteed Quality parts and value pricing
Hosted By:
COOK’S Auto Plus Auto Parts 'SJFSTPO 3E t %BM[FMM 4 $ Phone: 803-499-9086 Fax: 803-499-4388 Email: ccooks@ftc-i.net
A Lexington Medical Center Physician Network
540 Physicians Lane, Sumter SC William D. Brearley Jr., MD Lexington Cardiology
฀ ฀
฀
฀ ฀
฀
For directions and future topics visit SumterCardiology.com