Macro-brothels as crime attractors: Impact of closure, displacement, and diffusion of benefits

Efforts made at preventing prostitution – and any associated crime and disorder – are sometimes undermined by assumptions the problem will likely displace elsewhere. This study measures changes in local crime rates following the closure of two macro-brothels in Castelldefels, a town in the greater m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of criminology 2020-05, Vol.17 (3), p.247-268
Main Authors: Soto, Carles, Summers, Lucia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brothels
Crime
Crime prevention
Criminal statistics
Criminology
Prostitution
Social disorganization
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Summary:Efforts made at preventing prostitution – and any associated crime and disorder – are sometimes undermined by assumptions the problem will likely displace elsewhere. This study measures changes in local crime rates following the closure of two macro-brothels in Castelldefels, a town in the greater metropolitan area of Barcelona, Spain. The closures were complemented by a local ordinance aimed at preventing spatial displacement. Weighted displacement quotients indicated that the modest crime reductions observed in the treatment area (immediately around the macro-brothels) did not displace to the buffer area (the rest of the town); instead, a diffusion of benefits was observed, whereby crime reductions were also observed in the buffer area. The implications of the findings for criminological theory, policy and practice are discussed.
ISSN:1477-3708
1741-2609
DOI:10.1177/1477370818788011