Broken Windows Sociology

Broken windows in other terms are known to be neglected communities which involves crimes. In 1969, Philip Zimbardo, a psychologist from Stanford University, ran a field study. Zimbardo abandoned two cars in two very different places: one in a mostly poor, crime-ridden section of New York City, and the other in a fairly affluent neighborhood of Palo Alto, California. Both cars were left without license plates and parked with their hoods up. After just 10 minutes, passersby in New York City began vandalizing the car. First they stripped it for parts. Then the random destruction began. Windows were smashed. The car was destroyed. But in Palo Alto, the other car remained untouched for more than a week. Finally, Zimbardo did something unusual, He took a sledgehammer and gave the California car a …show more content…
Instead of throwing people in prison, Zimbardo suggested that the government pick up the subway tracks, get rid of homeless people and clean neighborhoods. The theory examined that people who are arrested for minor crimes like not paying subway fair are being reached for serious criminal activities. Broken windows does not only make it hard for stranger to move to these neighborhoods but with broken windows, people become more profiled especially in the black communities. In theses communities there is an increase of police misconduct and an increase of police presence in the neighborhoods. Zombardo stated that “This field study was a simple demonstration of how something that is clearly neglected can quickly become a target for vandals. But it eventually morphed into something far more than that. In the article, Kelling and Wilson of the article suggested that “a broken window or other visible signs of disorder or decay and this idea can send the signal that a neighborhood is uncared for. So, they thought, if police departments addressed those problems, maybe the bigger crimes wouldn't