Reviews : Women Working: Prostitution Now EILEEN McLEOD Croom & Helm; 1982; pp 177; hb; £6.95
| Date | 01 December 1983 |
| Author | Sue Massey |
| Published date | 01 December 1983 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058303000416 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
156
the
most
lucrative
organized
crime;
or
that
prostitutes
fall
prey
to
organized
crime
because
of
mental
disorder
and
a
propensity
to
use
drugs.
All
of
these
are
very
much
open
to
question
and
there
is
a
real
danger
that
these
extravagant
claims
will
prove
counter-producrive.
Such
claptrap
could
quite
properly
be
discounted
as
being
of little
value,
and
the
authors
would
have
failed
to
fire
the
public
conscience
and
indignation
of
their
readers.
This
would
be
a
pity
because
their
central
thesis
(organized
crime
control
by
means
of
heightened
public
consciousness)
is
sound.
ANDREW
WILLIS
University
College,
Cardiff
Women
Working:
Prostitution
Now
EILEEN
McLEOD
Croom
&
Helm;
1982;
pp
177;
hb;
£6.95
’Prostitution
is
not
a
world
apart.
It
is
bound
up
with
wider
social
processes
and
permeated
by
assumptions
current
in
society
at
large.’
Within
such
a
framework,
Eileen
Mcleod
has
produced
an
authentic
account
of
the
transactions,
services
and
consumers
of
contemporary
prostitution.
Fundamentally,
poverty
still
ranks
as
the
main
incentive
to
sell
a
sexual
commodity,
thus
allowing
for
comparatively
substantial
financial
gains.
Through
Mcleod’s
research
with
PROS
and
frank
interviews
with
working
prostitutes
and
their
clients,
points
and
questions
emerge,
indicating
that
such
a
livelihood
is
specifically
designed
to
fulfil
a
need
withm
society.
Her
findmgs
show
that
the
social
status
of
men
visiting
prostitutes
is
quite
unexceptional;
indeed,
as
such
a
demand
fre-
quently
exists
in
tandem
with
marriage,
the
author
places
question
marks
agamst
the
strength
of
marriage
to
satisfy
emotional
and
sexual
needs.
Despite
the
practical
gams,
prostitution
also
carries
the
inevitable
physical
and
emotional
hardship
incurred
by
and
inflicted
upon
women
so
employed.
Emphasis
is
laid
on
male
domination,
its
influence
on
’the
love
ideal’,
and
the
endemic
nature
of
male-female
violence.
Despite
the
social
and
sexual
needs
served
by
prostitution,
the
law and
the
media
still
persist
in
condemning
them
in
the
guise
of morality,
in
their
attempts
to
protect
society.
The
author
argues
that
hypocrisy
is
still
predominant,
particularly
when
considering
the
continuing
demand
and
the
increasing
struggle
for
prostitutes
to
improve
their
living
and
working
conditions.
The
decision
to
become
and
remain
a
prostitute
is,
by
the
author’s
research,
not
necessarily
a
matter
of
personal
choice.
Questions
are
raised
as
to
the
sexist
assumptions
about
the
appropriate
’treat-
ment’
of women,
the
need
for
law
reform
and
the
destigmatisation
of
the
word
’prostitution’.
Personal
and
professional
feelings
for
such
women
will
inevitably
vary,
but
Eileen
Mcleod’s
book
gives
an
informative
and
sensitive
account
into
the
fundamental
issues
relating
to
the
most
maligned
group
of
women
in
society.
SUE
MASSEY
Probation
Officer,
Kings
Lynn
Criminal
Behaviour:
An
Introduction
to
Criminology
and
the
Penal
System
(2nd
Ed.)
HERSCHEL
PRINS
Tavistock Publications
1982;
£5.50 pb;
£11.00 hb;
p.306.
Herschel
Prins
provides
a
well-informed
and
perceptive
guide
to
all
major
areas
of
criminology
enquiry.
His
book
is
sufficiently
detailed
not
to
be
superficial,
whilst
keeping
to
its
objective
of pro-
viding
an
introductory
reader.
He
covers
in
par-
ticular
definitions
of crime
and
ways
of measuring
its
frequency,
causes
of crlme,
the
criminal justice
and
penal
systems
and
effectiveness
of
penal
measures.
All
chapters
are
furnished
with
excellent
reference
hsts.
Some
material
is
unfortunately
dated
due
to
the
implementation
of
the
Criminal
Justice
Act
1982,
all
legal
references
are
accurate
only
up
to
Ist July
1982.
The
book
should
be
of value
to
all
those
entering
work
or
study
in
the
field
of
cnminology
and
as
a
basic
reference
text
for
the
practitioner.
PAUL
COOPER
Probation
Officer,
Merseyside
Families
and
Alcoholics
ALISON
BURR
Constable,
1982;
£5.95
This
book
is
intended
for
families
who
have
an
alcoholic
within
their
midst.
Its
theme
is
that
by
concentrating
on
their
own
well-being
as
opposed
to
that
of the
alcoholic
member,
the
family
is
more
likely .to
survice
intact
and
cope
with
their
con-
flicting
emotions.
The
bonus
from
this
approach
is
that
the
family
is
more
likely
to
create
an
atmosphere
in
which
the
alcoholic
member
might
more
easily
recognise
that
he
or
she has
a
drink
problem
and
that
this
’dis-ease’
is
amenable
to
change,
allowing
the
whole
family
to
ease
back
into
a
regular
way
of life.
Alison
Burr
is
the
pseudonym
of
someone
who
has
extensive
experience
m
Al-Anon
and
the
book
reflects
this
m
its
readable
and
practical
approach
to
the
many
problems
that
a
family
has
to
face
m
such
circumstances.
FRANK
GLOYN
Volunteer,
Hampshire
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