Policing Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

The name Broken Windows Theory was derived from an experiment conducted by Philip Zimbardo (1969), in which an abandoned automobile was placed in a high crime neighborhood where it remained untouched for a week until part of it was smashed by a researcher. Within a few hours of the initial damage the car was destroyed. The theory posits that in certain neighborhoods if a broken window remains unrepaired then it alerts others that this is the 'norm', and breaking more windows becomes more acceptable; in other words, a failure to enforce minor public offenses contributes to a downward spiral in which residents become less involved and withdrawn from the community, thereby allowing for crime and vandalism to proliferate; and moreover, that disorder is indirectly linked to serious crime. The theory was derived by Wilson and Kelling (1982) from the findings of a foot-patrol experiment conducted in Newark, New Jersey by police administrators and social scientists (Police Foundation 1981). While swapping police officers from patrol cars to walking beats did not reduce the amount of crime in those neighborhoods as expected, residents did experience positive outcomes. Residents in neighborhoods that had foot patrols, felt more secure, believed that crime had decreased, and appeared to take fewer precautions to protect themselves from criminal activities. While the use of patrol cars, increases police mobility, expediting the response time to citizen service calls, and strengthening the control of central command, they also act as a barrier between the officer and the community. An officer on foot patrol is unable to separate himself from the street allowing for greater integration into the neighborhood, along with greater accessibility by residents. Thus fostering a sense of collective identity in which both formal and informal actors are collaborating at improving their respective community. Wilson and Kelling (1982) found that the level of disorder in a neighborhood provides a signal to motivated offenders that there is a lack of concern about the neighborhood. This indicates that there is a lack of social control, either formal (i.e. police officers) or informal (i.e. neighbors, family), which reduces that chances for apprehension. Therefore, offenders will target disorderly neighborhoods to commit offenses because the costs of their illegal actions are greatly reduced or eliminated. The theory predicts that a sequence of events (i.e. windows breaking) will then ensue. First, the ongoing accumulation of disorder in the neighborhood; second, individuals will perceive that violent crime is increasing and become more fearful of their community; third, the increased levels of fear will inhibit individuals from intervening in the neighborhood and limiting their use of public space; fourth, residential turnover will ensue, with individuals who are able to emigrate being replaced by individuals who are not attached to the neighborhood. Finally, serious crime (this includes drug dealing, prostitution, robberies, car theft, assorted violent crimes) will inevitably increase (Wilson and Kelling 1982).