Target-hardening at a New York City Subway Station: Decreased Fare Evasion — at What Price?

This paper evaluates the effect of the installation of "high-wheel" turnstiles on the incidence of fare evasion at a subway station in New York City. Ridership, summons and arrest data at the treatment station and two adjacent control stations suggest that the new high-wheel turnstiles were somewhat effective in reducing fare evasion, with little evidence of displacement. In light of these results, this article addresses the issue of whether the marginal success of these measures, which some say create a draconian, prison-like environment, justifies their detrimental effects on station aesthetics.