Broken Window Theory

Broken Window Theory
Analyse the 'Broken Window' theory in relation to crime prevention. What are the main strengths and weaknesses of this theory.
The Broken Windows theory was first proposed by two social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in the 1982 article, "Broken
Windows", ( Wilson and Kelling, 1982). The analogy of broken windows used to explain this theory is that signs of disorder in a neighborhood inhibit
the efforts of the residents to show social control. Any lack of social control makes the neighborhood vulnerable to other anti–social activities such as
public drinking and theft. This degradation of the overall morality of the neighborhood, then attracts more unsavoury crimes, such as prostitution and
drug dealing, until,...show more content...
It has been shown that the more a community is seen to be associated with criminal activity, the more afraid the residents are of being a part of that
community, (Pitner et al, 2012). What has been proposed to counter–act this belief is that community members take a greater concern and pride in the
community's conditions and safety. Volunteer programs involving senior and younger residents, in addition to neighborhood watch programs, can
build mutual trust and more solid relations between residents. This can result in residents being more active in reducing minor infractions and,
ultimately, crime in the neighborhoods, (Bolder et al, 2005). The Broken Window theory can be used as motivation for a neighborhood to fund youth
programs that provide unsupervised teens and children an enjoyable place to spend their time. It may also influence parents to pay more attention to
their children and their activities outside of their home environment.
While the Broken Window theory has many supporters and can be backed up by field experiments and statistical data, there are also many detractors
of the theory. In the New York example, there are many other factors that could have led to the decrease in crime rates during that time. Factors such as
an increase in members of the New York Citypolice force, the changes in drug use away from heroin, toward crack cocaine (the increased availability of
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Essay On Broken Windows Theory
Introduction to the original "Broken Windows" Article Broken Windows theory was created by George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson in March
1982. Their article was based around the idea that if small crimes were not punished, they would eventually lead into larger crimes.
The name of the article comes from the idea that is a broken window is not replaced as soon as it is broken, then it is a sign that no one cares. And,
as soon as no one cares, then larger more serious crimes are permitted.
Throughout the article many different examples are used to support the idea that Broken Windows Theory Policing is an effective way to fightcrime.
The primary example of this is in New York City, when the then mayor of New York City took on Bratton as the newpolice chief. He then went on to
bring in Broken Windows policing. Almost immediately crime rates began to fall. However, many people disagree about the true reason the crime rates
fell.
A War Against Minorities Some that disagree with Broken Windows Theory claim it is not actually a crime fighting strategy, but rather it was a
under the radar call for the police to crack down on minorities in the USA. Daniel Brook makes the claim that physical decay in neighborhoods is not
the most telling sign that a neighborhood is in decay, but rater that it is racially determined. "the actual level of physical disorder–the number of
boarded–up buildings, for example–wasn't the most important factor in making people think their

Broken Windows Theory Research Paper
Citizens know the difference between right and wrong, the problem is police officers treat each unlawful offense they encounter differently, but
when you have the broken windows policing in effect every police officer in that unit will be on the same page. The real reason people get their
feeling hurt is because one day they were going five over the speed limit, the officer stopped them but they got away with a warning, now they
believe that five MPH over the speed limit is acceptable. The next day they get pulled over for the identical offense, but this officer lays down the law
and they receive a ticket. The broken windows theory provides enforcement with a standard. When Violation you use to get away with are now being
enforced questions

Broken Windows Theory Essay
Broken windows, order–maintenance, quality–of–life policing are all ideas that are fast becoming conventional ways to control crime. Social scientists
James Q. Wilson and George Kelling are convinced their idea of "broken windows" policing shows a connection between street disorder and serious
crime. They believe by police cracking down on any behavior they consider to be disorderly shows the people in the community that law enforcement is
watching them and deters criminal behavior from occurring. University of Arizona law professor, Bernard E. Harcourt, argues that the
broken–windows theory does not prove that disorder causes crime. In fact, aggressive over–policing has created more problems than it solves. Problems
such as a strained criminal justice system, burdening impoverished people with fines for minor offenses, and abuse of power between police and the
...show more content...
In Zimbardo's 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment video (Zimbardo, 1971) we can see how people who are placed in authoritative roles can succumb to
overuse of their given power. Our carceral system justifies the power to punish. Over–policing techniques can be dangerous because they can make
punishment seem like it is normal and necessary. According to Foucault, "The clash between juridical and disciplinary power gives rise to the tendency
toward normalization––toward the spectrum from normal to abnormal." (Foucault 1980:106). Order–maintenance policing embodies the juridical
model and the military form of discipline. It tends to uses punishments that are somewhat excessive. "It does not aim to reform the disorderly so
much as it does to punish them and to exclude them, in the sense of getting them off the street." (Harcourt, 2004,149) Police officers are also not
trained on how to deal with those who have disabilities or mental illness and as a result they are also victims of police

Broken Windows Theory
Broken Windows Theory When George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson first proclaimed the Broken Windows Theory, it states that maintaining an
orderly environment law enforcement needs to enforce a "zero–tolerance" policy on disreputable people who commit small crimes like public drinking
and vandalism, thereby ultimately prevent bigger crimes from occurring. In the mid 70's Newark, New Jersey had implemented aspects of the Broken
Windows Theory in order to improve the quality of community life. By having police officers patrolling the city on foot instead of driving, they hoped
it will reduce crime rates. There was no difference in the way people committed crimes rather police are patrolling on foot or in vehicles (Cullen,
498–499). The program

Broken Windows Essay
In March 1982, The Atlantic magazine ran an article titled "Broken Windows" by George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson. [1] The authors of this
now famous article wrote, "Social psychologists and police officers agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest
of the windows will soon be broken." One broken window, left unrepaired, is a signal that the building is abandoned and that no one cares, so breaking
more windows means nothing. The authors continue, "Vandalism can occur anywhere once communal barriers–the sense of mutual regard and the
obligations of civility–are lowered by actions that seem to signal that 'no one cares.'"
To test this theory, Philip Zimbardo, a Stanford psychology professor, had...show more content...
To test the claim that this behavior could "occur anywhere," Zimbardo performed the same experiment in sedate Palo Alto, California. This car fared
somewhat better, remaining untouched for more than a week. Then, Zimbardo hit the car with a sledgehammer and within a few hours, this car also
was looted, turned upside down, and destroyed.
To put the broken windows theory to the test, Kelling was hired as a consultant by the New York CityTransit Authority. The subway system was
cleaned–specifically targeting graffiti removal. In 1990, William Bratton, an admirer of Kelling, took over the Transit Police and implemented a
zero–tolerance for fare–dodging and easier processing of those arrested. These strategies, among others, became part of Mayor Rudy Giuliani's "quality
of life" initiative. [2] Was it effective? A later study of crime trends in New York City showed the rates of both petty and serious crime fell suddenly
and significantly after these actions were instituted.
Most of us have experienced our fair share of project broken windows: impossible deadlines, shipping a product filled with disaster–in–waiting defects
just to meet an arbitrary schedule, firing the tester for finding too many defects, bogus incentive schemes, declaring a project "done" when it's not and
phony–ing up documents to prove it, and the ever popular adding more people to a late project.
Windows get broken on every project. However, it's vital not to let them remain broken for

Broken Window Theory Essay
2. The "Broken Windows" theory, initially introduced by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982, contended that there was a causal
connection between neighborhood disorder and crime. This theory was initially employed by police in New York, where a string of forceful
misdemeanors and increased stop–and–frisk incidents were credited with apprehending wanted criminals, seizure of illicit weapons, and diminishing
the city's crime rate. Martin O'Malley's ascension to mayor in 1999 had the Baltimore Police Department adopting these same procedures in Baltimore.
These aggressive strategies were effective in expanding the police's investigative power, bringing more individuals under police scrutiny which
accordingly increased the quantity of potential informants, and recovering weapons. These strategies were valuable to individuals who felt they had
lost control of their neighborhood and felt defenseless by nefarious...show more content...
Crime is an issue that is frequently connected to cities with urban centers. For years, officials and residents in Baltimore City worried about rising
crime rates and the danger to public safety. From 1970 to present, violent crime has been a long term pattern in Baltimore and other urban areas in
the United States. Beneath these patterns lies a significant volatility. During the 1970s, crime rates dropped before suddenly spiking in 1981. Amid
the 1980s, crime rates fell again until an emotional reversal in 1988 which sent crime surging to obscene amounts before cresting around 1995 and
falling again. This surge in savage crime in the late 1980s and mid 1990s has been connected with the introduction and rise of crime, a perspective
that was reinforced by ER surveys. Prior to the crime wave of the late 80s, Baltimore's crime rates had been declined nominally and in contrast to
cities of similar size in the region. The crack epidemic dramatically reversed these patterns, creating panic among city leaders not just in Baltimore but
in other major

Essay On Broken Windows Theory
Introduction of James Q. Wilson
James Q. Wilson (1931–2012) was a highly respected scholar who devoted his life in political science, focusing on urban politics of the America in his
early life, and later delved into the study of political organisations, policing and crime, bureaucracy and character and culture. He spent most of his life
teaching political science at various renowned university, including UCLA and Harvard University. He also served numerous government commissions
throughout his life and was frequently awarded for his contributions, in particular, he was an awardee of the American nation's highest civilian award –
Presidential Medal of Freedom. Among Wilson's wide array of study, he was best known for his contributions in
Despite the theory being influential, it is to be noted that the original development of the theory has no actual scientific evidence. This is exemplified
as Wilson admitted himself that the theory originally was a speculation. Although weakly scientific, the theory had basis of actual observation with
testimonies of residents obtained by Wilson and Kelling as outlined in their 1982 article.
b.Application on policing strategy
The broken windows theory influenced policing strategy, specifically, suggested the importance of combating minor disorder by policing. Since
"disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked in a developmental sequence", policing therefore has an eminent role in disrupting the trajectory
linking minor disorder and serious crime. The hypothesis is that when police keep streets in good order by not tolerating minor disorder, people are
likely to behave in a more orderly way.
An example of the application of this policing approach focusing on minor disorder was New York City, where the NYPD statistics found a drop of
murder rate from 26.5 per 100,000 people in 1993 to 3.3 per 100,000 people in 2013. This policing strategy was promoted by William J. Bratton, the
head of New York's transit police at that time. In addition, in a research conducted by Braga, Welsh and Schnell in 2015, it was found that policing
strategies focusing on minor disorder had a statistically

Broken Window Theory Essay
"The appeal of broken windows theory is both emotive and instrumental in nature. It is emotive because it harks back to a nostalgic construction of
community and neighbourhoods as homogenous environments where clear standards of morality are known and respected". Broken Window
approach was an academic theory proposed theory that used a building's broken windows as a metaphor for a disorder within neighbourhoods. Their
theory joins issue and incivility inside a group to ensuing events of genuine wrongdoing. As indicated by this method, a broken window that remains in
place is a proclamation that no one thinks enough about the value of life in the neighborhood or area to cause any trouble to bother to fixing the
miniscule things that go wrong....show more content...
This alleged keeps individuals from get involved in misconducting activities which is a step to keeping them off the streets. As well as this also helps
keep crime rates lower, because individuals learn from their mistakes at a younger age so they have the time to strive for success instead of being
stuck in a cycle of criminal activity and the law. And it this is all happening then, it accommodates persuaded leadership in the neighbourhood because
the neighbourhood isn't at wreck from the beginning so people would have the respect for community to maintain this. So if there is some type of
violation of crime in the community then people would have a respect for the police work and so forth that happens around that area because they value
the community and the individuals in it, which is a showing respect to them as well as it sets a standard of morality in the community.
So if no one cared about leaving the broken window, broken, little violation of law that happen in the community, would then become a building block
for the lawbreakers to continuing doing what they are doing because no one really cares enough to stop them. Which would also lead the community to
eventually stop caring because no one

Broken Window Theory Research Paper
A broken window can mean a lot of things, but what matters is if it will be replaced with a new one, or left untouched. Why does it matter if it is
replaced or not? leaving the window untouched defines that particular area as either abandoned or unimportant rather than occupied or cared for. This
all ties into the broken windows theory, and more importantly broken windows style policing. Broken windows policing is gaining more concern by
minorities every day, simply because of the outrageous procedures officer practice to keep their jobs. New York is a highlight state that is not hesitant
to speak their minds, which brought up the concerns up about the broken windows policing methods and its effectiveness. It almost seems that this
style of policing specifically targets low–class people of color to prevent more serious crimes as well as crack down on outstanding warrants.
However, broken windows policing causes more turmoil than it does assist the public because broken windows policing is not fair since it targets
low–income people of color for no reason, which shown to lead to harassment or even death. The main concern regarding broken windows policing is
the effectiveness of it, the conclusion of results found in this (in my eyes) policing harassment methodology. To my knowledge, I have not come about
any evidence for it that it...show more content...
The only logical was for these complaints on broken windows policing to end is for departments to focus their resources on local infrastructure and
community relations. Regardless, broken windows policing causes more turmoil than it does assist the public, because broken windows policing is not
fair since it targets low–income people of color for no reason, which has shown to lead to harassment or even

Essay On Broken Window Theory
The broken windows theory is a criminological theory that if a neighborhood looks rotten then the more trouble it welcomes. In 1982, George L.
Kelling and James Q. Wilson released an article focusing on the importance of the disorder. This theory is strongly attached to the African
– American
community. An area that shows a low population of existences states that fear orcrime related situations caused the massive egress of residents. The
lack of people to care for a community results into buildings looking forgotten. Therefore, broken windows appearance is a great way for convicts to
hide because no one would go near a place that comes into view as spine–chilling. In additions, this produces a high risk of anxiety for African
–American males believe that any moment a police officer can stop, question, and frisk them out of anticipation.
Sadly, run down...show more content...
The city Richmond, located in Virginia, is a huge city with small areas with high crime rates. Above all, Richmond is a beautiful city and not labeled as
broken. Richmond offers a large amount of diversity, variety of foods, high amounts of education, many opportunities and more. The younger
generation does many criminal acts because they lack knowledge and there is no hope for youth in some communities. Furthermore, Richmond is
determined to fix a window before the whole community is full of broken window. Richmond offers counseling, church groups, mentors, school
tutoring, and many more programs to help our community continue to be great. The Richmond population is about two hundred fourteen thousand
people. A study of the violent crime comparisons that had a thousand residents. The study stated that a Richmond resident had a one in one hundred
eighty six chances of becoming a criminal. The Richmond police strive to be a part of the community. There have been many community picnics and
gathering to build a better relationship with the police and

The Theory Of The Broken Windows Theory Essay
In 1969 Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment. He placed two identical cars in two contrasting neighbourhoods: one prim and proper, and the other
run–down and disordered. Within two days the car in the run–down neighbourhood was ruined. The other car wasn 't ruined until Zimbardo took a
hammer to the window and shattered it. It didn 't take long for others to step in and completely ruin the car (Engel et al., 2014).
Zimbardo 's experiment is the basis and inspiration of the broken windows theory (Engel et al., 2014). The theory posits that disorder leads to crime, or
as Keizer, Lindenberg, and Steg (2008) put it, "Signs of inappropriate behavior like graffiti or broken windows lead to other inappropriate behavior".
The theory presents a snowball effect form disorder to crime. There has been much debate over the validity of the theory, but the research shows that
disorder–broken windows–does lead to crime.
Developing Broken Windows Theory
History
James Wilson and George Kelling first developed the theory in 1982. They claimed that public disorder–"matters which are visible and public and pose
concerns to the public at large (Ranasinghe, 2011)–leads to serious crime. Countless research has been done since the theory 's first inception, but
perhaps the most notable test and application of the theory was in the New York subway system from 1990 to 1993, during which the crime rate
decreased by 35 percent in the subway, and 18 percent in the city overall (Morris, 2016). There

Broken Window Philosophy : Broken Windows
In the article Broken Windows, it gives the reader insight on what broken windows stands for and how it plays a role in policing. Broken windows
is based on bad behavior or actions in the community. Just like a broken windows it symbolizes nobody cares, which leads to greater fear of crime
and a lessens of community bad behavior, which in turn can lead to more serious crimes and greater signs of bad behavior, and it could turn into a
repeating the cycle. "If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge."(Wilson)
This theory says that the little things matter. By focusing on the small acts of criminals, law enforcements hope to make the community have social
control meaning taking control of their community and to prevent crime or corruption from happening. Broken Window philosophy has it positive and
negative aspects. The theory states disorder causes fear in the community, and more crime to occur. Broken Windows strategy was to fight crime and
keep the community safe from danger. In some ways Broken Windows did help the community and in other ways it didn't. With that said I going on to
talk about what Broken Windows has done for us in positive way.
One thing that Broken Windows have done for policing is troublesome juveniles can learn how to clean their bad behavior or act. By looking for
smaller crimes such as vandalism, littering, or etc., policer could catch them. For police officers catching the

Broken Windows Theory Research Paper
Broken windows theory is criminological theory that suggested aggressive enforcement of all statutes (urban crimes like vandalism) can restore a sense
of order. By capturing enforcement data as reflected in summons and arrest activity, the department is better able to gauge its overall performance.
Maintaining and monitoring environments to prevent minor violations like vandalism and public drinking helps creating an atmosphere of order and
lawfulness, thereby preventing other crimes from happening. This theory was first introduced and practiced by the New York CityPolice Department
when the problems of crimes became more severe, was intended to decrease crime rates, in which data suggested that it was successful, but was this
approach the

Broken Windows Theory
Introduction In the field of law enforcement, the top priority is to reduce crime. People in law enforcement have theorized various methods as to what
is most effective in controlling crime. The broken windows theory is one of these crime control theories. This theory states that disorder within the
community can be directly linked to serious crimes, such as robbery, rape, and murder. The idea is that thepolice should monitor the community and
manage it in order to prevent petty crimes. This watchful eye would create an environment where individuals are increasingly cautious of their actions.
The outcome is that, in this environment where broken windows policing is enforced, the number of serious crimes are significantly decreased. The New
However, as stated before, it is entirely possible for there to be other factors that led to a decrease in crime. The empirical data found doesn't specify
which factors led to the decrease, only that it was observed that there was in fact a significant decrease in the crime rate for most major crimes.
However, the "stop, question, and frisk" program was scrutinized and deemed unconstitutional. The decision as to whether or not an individual is
suspicious is entirely up to the officer. Officers would go into low income neighborhoods and stop men of a certain stereotype (specifically young
African American and Latino men) because they looked suspicious towards them. To make matters worse, nine out of ten times that an individual was
stopped the officers didn't find

Dr. Wilson and Dr. Kelling offer several benefits to police foot patrol and its application to broken windows theory and order maintenance. There are
many points that resonates with me that are effective and ineffective about their work regarding broken windows theory and order maintenance.The
broken window theory is a method that if minor crimes are just left unaddressed and nothing is done about it then, a situation for additional severe crime
will be developed due this.
So in the really world the broken window is seen as effective in order to preservation of the law, which helped reduce crime rates. For example in this
theory, in order to reduce crime in a certain region or area, one must be able to alternative or modify the physical and

Examples Of Broken Window Theory
In 1982, two men named James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling came up with a theory known as the broken windows theory. The metaphor the
two men used was "if one window in a building is broken and remains broken, other windows will eventually be broken too." (Kirchner, para. 2).
Basically meaning a person's actions are based on their surroundings. For example, if someone goes into a neighborhood that is clean and doesn't have
trash everywhere, they most likely wouldn't litter. If that same person goes to a neighborhood that is a little more run down, it's clear that the people
that reside there don't care about their neighborhood, he/she is more likely to litter. It's believed the same for serious crime, as well. Another example,
living in

What Is Broken Windows Theory?
During the pasп»їs few class discussion, we have talked about several topics including the broken windows theory, the epidemic curve, and if
negative social epidemics undergo the same spreading process. We said that the broken windows theory is now outdated and would not successfully
stop crime in ways that it used to. In today's world, it can even be scene as a harmful policing procedure, in that excessively ticking on small crimes
can lead in some cases to racial discrimination. The following day, we discussed what the epidemic curve looks like, and where all of the key
components go. After much debate, the general consensus was that the innovators start a trends, and then in order for that trent to take off a maven,
salesmen, or connector

This research paper examines the core principles and perspectives of the broken window theory which was pioneered by Wilson and Kelling in 1982.
Even after 30 years with the theory still present it has been criticized for having some missing gaps in information. By examining the vandalism and
anti–social behaviour issues at the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Scotland the theory will be testing accordingly. This started to generate
distress in the community and one by one people stared to withdraw from the community and with continuous reports to the police the National Park
Authority got involved and banned wild camping in the affected areas in the new camping by–laws of 2011. The park authority is considering to
expand this ban

Broken Window Theory

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