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In criminology, the broken windows theory states that visible signs of crime, antisocial behavior and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. [1]
The Broken Windows Theory is a valuable tool in understanding the importance of maintenance in deterring crime. Broken Windows theory proponents support a zero tolerance approach to property maintenance, observing that a broken window will entice vandals to break more nearby windows. The sooner broken windows are fixed, the less likely such ...
Wilson and George L. Kelling introduced the broken windows theory in the March 1982 edition of The Atlantic Monthly. In an article titled "Broken Windows", they argued that the symptoms of low-level crime and disorder (e.g. a broken window) create an environment that encourages more crimes, including serious ones. [2]
The broken windows theory is the idea that there is importance to disorder when it comes to assisting and generating crime. General disorder leads to fear from a community, which allows for more crime to be committed because of decreased social control. In other words, an un-fixed broken window will ultimately lead to more broken windows.
Collective efficacy is an alternative to broken windows theory, which argues that efforts to prevent small crimes such as vandalism and public drinking reduce the likelihood of crime. According to broken windows theory, when residents and authorities do not work to prevent small crimes, a sense of disorder develops in the community.
Criminology George Lee Kelling (August 21, 1935 – May 15, 2019) was an American criminologist , a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University–Newark , [ 1 ] a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research , [ 2 ] and a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University .
In Illusion of Order: The False Promise of Broken Windows Policing he challenged evidence for the broken windows theory and critiqued the assumptions of the policing strategy. [10] In Language of the Gun , he develops a post-structuralist theory of social science, arguing that social scientists should embrace the ethical choices they make when ...
Broken windows theory states that an increase in minor crimes such as graffiti, would eventually lead to and encourage an increase in larger transgressions. This suggests that greater policing on minor forms of deviance would lead to a decrease in major crimes. The theory has been tested in a variety of settings including New York City in the 90s.