Citation

Davies P. Crime Prev. Community Safety 2008; 10(4): 207-225.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -- Palgrave-Macmillan)

DOI

10.1057/cpcs.2008.8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The salience of gender in understanding all matters connected to crime, offending, social harm, criminal victimization and justice has been established over the last 30 years. This article seeks to illustrate some features of the gender patterning to crime and victimization in society. It focuses on two main themes, gendered risks and the notion of invisible locations, public/private spaces. The connecting thread between these themes is the relationship between offenders and victims. Throughout the exploration of these issues, the paper questions the extent to which an inclusive community safety paradigm has unfolded. It concludes that the image of community assumed by the mainstream community safety industry is at odds with a gendered approach to understanding and responding to crime, offending, social harm, criminal victimization and justice. The arguments and illustrations considered in this paper are therefore significant for theoretical and practical considerations of community safety.

Keywords: gendered risks, invisible victims, social harm, feminism, masculinities