Table Of ContentThough sex workers can be among the most vulnerable in society, notions of tol-
erance and charity rarely extend to encompass them. In this timely book Sarah
Kingston explores the tensions that exist between residents and sex workers,
suggesting that stereotypes of stigma and deviance can combine to position sex
workers and their clients as beyond the bounds of respectable society.
Though grounded in the context of contemporary prostitution policy in the
UK, this book is sure to be of international import given the long-standing failure
of governments to evolve regulations protecting the interests of landowners and
residents without penalising sex workers.
Phil Hubbard, Professor of Urban Studies, University of Kent, UK
By examining prostitution from the vantage point of residents affected by the
presence of prostitution in their neighborhoods, Sarah Kingston illuminates a
dimension of struggles over sex work that has rarely been researched. A major,
unique contribution to the literature on prostitution.
Ronald Weitzer, Professor of Sociology, George Washington University, USA
Policies restricting consensual adult prostitution are often justified in terms of the
alleged negative effects on the communities that provide venues for ‘the sex
trade’. This book examines the empirical basis for this assumption by accessing
and unpacking the complex attitudes to sex workers, their business partners, and
clients, formed by those who live and work near them.
By drawing from her own ethnographic data and the work of other researchers,
Kingston offers new ways of studying sex markets that will help public officials
and concerned citizens rethink how societies suppress and regulate them.
Laurie Shrage, Professor of Philosophy and Women's and Gender Studies,
Florida International University, USA
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Prostitution in the Community
Prostitution often causes significant anxiety for communities. These com-
munities have been known to campaign against its presence in ‘their’ neighbour-
hoods, seeking the removal of street sex workers and their male clients.
Although research and literature has begun to explore prostitution from the
standpoint of the community, there is no comprehensive text which brings
together some of the current literature in this area. This book aspires to cast light
on some of this work by exploring the nature, extent and visibility of prostitution
in residential communities and business areas, considering the legal and social
context in which it is situated, and the community responses of those who live
and work in areas of sex work.
This book aims to examine current literature on the impacts of prostitution in
residential areas and considers how different policy approaches employed by the
police and local authorities have mediated and shaped the nature of sex work in
different communities. It explores what communities think about prostitution
and those involved, as well as studies the techniques and strategies communities
have utilized to take action against prostitution in their neighbourhoods. This
book will also demonstrate the diversity of public attitudes, action and reaction
to prostitution in the community.
This book is a useful contribution for academics and researchers in the fields
of Criminology and Sociology who wish to understand current policy initiatives
surrounding the issue of prostitution in local, national and international com-
munity settings.
Sarah Kingston is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Course Leader of the
BA (Hons) Criminology degree at Leeds Metropolitan University. Her research
interests focus on the sex industry, sexuality and prostitution policy. Her
previous publications include New Sociologies of Sex Work (Ashgate, 2010) for
which she was co- editor.
Routledge studies in crime and society
1 Sex Work
Labour, mobility and sexual services
Edited by JaneMaree Maher, Sharon Pickering and Alison Gerard
2 State Crime and Resistance
Edited by Elizabeth Stanley and Jude McCulloch
3 Collective Morality and Crime in the Americas
Christopher Birkbeck
4 Talking Criminal Justice
Language and the just society
Michael J. Coyle
5 Women Exiting Prison
Critical essays on gender, post- release support and survival
Bree Carlton and Marie Segrave
6 Collective Violence, Democracy and Protest Policing
David R. Mansley
7 Prostitution in the Community
Attitudes, action and resistance
Sarah Kingston
Prostitution in the Community
Attitudes, action and resistance
Sarah Kingston
First published 2014
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Sarah Kingston
The right of Sarah Kingston to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data
Kingston, Sarah
Prostitution in the community: attitudes, action, and resistance / Sarah
Kingston.
pages cm. – (Routledge studies in crime and society)
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Prostitution-–Social aspects. I. Title.
HQ118.K56 2014
306.74–dc23 2013015733
ISBN: 978-0-415-68867-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-88399-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Contents
Preface viii
Acknowledgements ix
1 Introduction 1
2 Prostitution policy and the community 19
3 Researching the community 37
4 Community attitudes 54
5 The impact of prostitution on communities 78
6 Community action and resistance 97
7 Responding to community concerns: local authority and
the police 124
8 Stigma management: the individual and the community 151
Bibliography 167
Index 197
Preface
This book has emerged from my masters and PhD research at the school of Soci-
ology and Social Policy, University of Leeds, which was fully funded by the
Economic Social Research Council 1+3 Competition Scholarship (PTA–
030–2004–00805). This research sought to determine the concerns of com-
munities affected by the presence of prostitution, primarily street prostitution,
and perceptions of men who buy sex. I was particularly inspired by a critical
appraisal of Pitcher et al.’s (2006) study of community views in five cities across
England and Scotland. The study identified a comment made by a male resident
regarding the safety of friends and family. This male resident said that he would
often pick up female family members, rather than let them walk home late at
night in areas of street sex work. These comments made me wonder what it was
about men who buy sex on the street that prompted this man to act in such a
manner. Were men who buy sex from women on the street perceived as
dangerous?
From these initial questions, I began to consider how men who buy sex were
perceived by the public and whether these constructions were mirrored by offi-
cial discourse. The importance of the research became apparent from an exam-
ination of the Coordinated Prostitution Strategy, as the Home Office (2006)
identified a key objective of challenging wider public attitudes. The political
importance of achieving this objective was in the review on Tackling Demand in
November 2008, as the government identified that changing public perceptions
was key to tackling demand. Yet, despite these objectives, I questioned how the
government knew what public perceptions were, given that no thorough review
or survey was undertaken to determine public attitudes. It was with these critical
questions that this research arose. From these foundations, this book has built
upon this empirical research, as well as exploring further literature and research,
which has unearthed the concerns, experiences, desires and distastes of ‘com-
munities’ affected by the presence of prostitution in ‘their’ neighbourhoods.
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been made possible without the valuable input of the
research participants and many others who have helped move this research for-
wards. The support and advice of Dr Teela Sanders, Moria Doolan and Dr Kirk
Mann have guided and nurtured the research upon which this book was origin-
ally based. I would also like to give thanks to Professor Sylvia Walby, who,
alongside Teela, offered me the opportunity to undertake my PhD at the Univer-
sity of Leeds. I would, furthermore, like to thank the many cited and unrefer-
enced academics and writers who have contributed to my ‘understanding’ of this
work, research and the field of prostitution research. My understanding must also
be attributed to the many discussions and ‘chin- wags’ with fellow PhD students:
Ana, Chris, Laura and Laura, Mark, Carole, Tom and Rachel, to name but a few.
Thanks, guys! In the transitional period, I would like to say thank you to Pro-
fessor Phil Hubbard, who helped me to develop the thesis into a book proposal.
Further thanks go to Dr Natalie Hammond, Professor Colin Webster, Professor
Terry Thomas and Professor Nick Frost for reading many chapters of the book
and talking about my work. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank
my loving family: Mum, Dad, Christian, Leon, Steve and Andrea, my many
aunties and uncles, cousins and grandparents, and friends Claire and Pam.
Thank- you for accepting me for me. Your love, support and nurturing has col-
oured this book no end. This book is dedicated to the loving memory of Bettie
Kingston and Ralph Armstrong Gardner. This is for you, Grandma and Grandad.
