Addressing the Security Needs of Women Passengers on Public Transport

• NCJ Number: 221775
• Journal: Security Journal Volume: 21 Issue: 1-2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 117-133
• Author(s): Martha J. Smith
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Drawing on Smith and Cornish's review of five different types of crime and disorder on public transport and crime prevention measures currently used or proposed, this paper presents a framework for analyzing the security needs of women passengers.

Abstract

The discussion reviews previous research in four key areas: women's reported victimization, issues in calculating the risk of being a crime victim, the rationality of women's fear of crime and disorder, and the need for effective and comprehensive crime prevention measures that address these security-related issues. The research review examines the feature of the trip on public transportation from point of origin to destination and back again. The passenger journey can be distinguished by the complex travel patterns of many women. Women's travel frequently includes trip "chains," with shopping trips or picking up children as part of the return-from-work journey. Such a detailed analysis of trip patterns helps identify the distinctive vulnerabilities of women. Women are also at risk for certain types of crimes linked to transportation patterns, notably sex crimes, sexual touching under crowded trip conditions, and snatch thefts (purses and jewelry). Women also report higher levels of fear of crime on public transportation compared with men, presumably related to reports of rape and sexual assault in the media. The highest concerns among women are when waiting on the platform for the train, being on the train, entering the subway station from the street, and getting to the subway. Five categories of situational crime prevention have been emphasized: increasing the effort required for the crime, increasing the risk of detection and possibly apprehension, reducing the rewards of completing the crime, reducing the situational provocations for crime, and removing excuses that may make the crime more likely to occur. 2 tables and 55 references