Book Review: Crime and fear in public places: Towards safe, inclusive, and sustainable cities by Ceccato, V. & Nalla, M. K. (Eds)

• Published date: 01 September 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10575677231165574
• Author: Asifa Iqbal
• Date: 01 September 2023
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Jones, R. (2020). Criminology and criminal justice in post-devolution Wales. European Journal of Criminology,

19(4), 811–829. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370820916447

Jones, R., & Wyn Jones, R. (2019). Justice at the jagged edge in Wales. Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff

University.

Jones, R., & Wyn Jones, R. (2022). The Welsh criminal justice system: On the jagged edge. University of Wales Press.

Welsh Government (2019). Justice in Wales for the people of Wales: The Commission on Justice in Wales

report. https://gov.wales/working-together-safer-communities-review

Williams, J., & Eirug, A. (eds) (2022). The impact of devolution in Wales: Social democracy with a Welsh stripe.

University of Wales Press.

Wyn Jones, R., & Scully, R. (2012). Wales says yes: Devolution and the 2011 Welsh referendum. University of

Wales Press.

Ceccato, V. & Nalla, M. K. (Eds) (2022).

Crime and fear in public places: Towards safe, inclusive, and sustainable cities. Routledge Taylor & Francis. 486 pp.

₤39.99 (pbk), ₤130 (hbk), ISBN 9780367517694.

Reviewed by: Asifa Iqbal ,Department of Computer and Geospatial Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and

Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, Sweden

DOI: 10.1177/10575677231165574

There has been a longstanding debate about the fear of crime in public places such as dark under-

ground transit spaces, empty parks, poorly lit streets, and overcrowded public squares. However, the

question remains: Is there a better way that reveals how the fear of crime impacts the quality of life of

an individual as well as society, culture, and social cohesion? Crime and fear in public places:

Towards safe, inclusive, and sustainable cities, edited by Vania Ceccato and Mahesh K. Nalla is a

valuable volume that endeavors toanswer this question. Professor Ceccato researches the relationship

between crime and fear of crime in urban and rural environments, whileProfessor Nalla specializes in

crime governance. As the name suggests, this book presents the underlying patterns of crime and fear

in public places by providing examples of studies from various parts of the world.This book volume

was preceded by an international conference, “Crime and Fear in Public Places: Patterns, Challenges

and Actions”in Stockholm, Sweden in 2018.

The book is divided into seven sections and begins with discussions emphasizing theoretical con-

cepts, followed by the articles under f‌ive overarching themes—environment, movement, users,

metrics, and intervention. These themes are further developed and presented by the authors of the

book chapters, who provide vivid theoretical and empirical examples of how public spaces are

formed and debated in various countries around the world–from Brazil, India, Mexico, Nigeria,

Pakistan, Japan, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This book’s theme

of “environment”encompasses transit spaces to cyberspace as a public space, the night-time

economy, music festivals, and open drug scenes. The theme “user’s perspective”includes women,

youth, college-aged students, the older adult population, individuals with disabilities, and the

LGBTQIA+community, including the victims and offenders of crimes. Though it may not be pos-

sible to discuss each paper in this review, the book contains 22 individual peer-reviewed articles by

35 experts from a diverse range of disciplines. This review will focus on what I consider the most

signif‌icant contributions of these articles.

One of the central essays—and arguably a text that summarizes the theme ”user’s perspective”—

is Sexual harassment in public spaces in India: Victimization and offending patterns by Mahesh

K. Nalla. The paper focuses on both the victim’s and the offender’s perspectives on public transport

332 International Criminal Justice Review 33(3)