ABSTRACT
This chapter is a discussion of the issues surrounding women’s safety and closed-circuit television (CCTV). It has two main themes: the effectiveness of CCTV in relation to women’s interpersonal safety, and also the extent to which women are monitored voyeuristically by male CCTV operators. The chapter will draw on relevant literature from feminist studies, criminology and cultural studies. Empirical data will be presented to illustrate how different populations of young women within the same community perceive and experience the presence of CCTV in their everyday life. For the purposes of this chapter the community will be referred to as Townsville, a community situated in the north-east of England. In comparison to the national average Townsville suffers from a combination of high unemployment and crime levels, as well as persistent drug-usage problems, above-average teenage pregnancy levels and below-average education attainment.
