Private” crime in public housing: Violent victimization, fear of crime and social isolation among women public housing residents. Women’s Health and Urban Life: An Interdisciplinary Journal

Although public housing is typically associated with high crime rates, little research has been done on fear of crime or violent victimization experiences among public housing residents. Moreover, there are few studies that look specifically at women’s fear of crime or violent victimization experiences in public housing, despite the fact that women constitute the majority of public housing residents. These issues were examined in the present study through interviews with female public housing residents in Camden, New Jersey (NJ). The interviews reveal high rates of violent victimization, especially at the hands of intimates and acquaintances. Fear of crime is also high among these women and this fear is intensified by the women’s sense of social isolation, which manifests itself as distrust in the police and neighbours. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed. In the minds of many people in the United States, public housing is associated with serious social problems, including crime. Despite this image, surprisingly little research has been done on crime in public housing (Holzman, 1996). Much of the available research on crime i