Police Zero Tolerance

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Should the Police Enforce Zero Tolerance Laws? Generally zero tolerance laws are considered an approach to policing, although due to the high controversy and various perspectives of zero tolerance laws, it is hard to specifically define what the laws consist of. The mission of zero tolerance policing approaches is to provide police action against both minor offenses and public disorder (Marshall, 1999). These laws work in coordination with the broken windows theory. Currently, policing approaches have been thrown out of proportion through the media and consequently, a significant amount of individuals feel personally victimized by law enforcement. This has created a greater debate and criticism among Americans regarding police efforts. It’s …show more content…
Working backwards, zero tolerance is based off of the broken windows theory, which is derived from the psychological idea that humans tend to mirror that of the environment around them. The broken windows theory is that if a broken window is left as it is, it leads to more substantial property damage because the belief that no one cares is developed. This deterioration of neighborhoods is also stated as causing a sense of fear within residents. This theory mostly emphasizes the relationship between social disorder and major crime. With zero tolerance laws, Bratton and Kelling argue that the heart of crime is targeted rather than waiting for more serious crimes to occur (Bratton & Kelling, 2013). It is theorized that by being proactive against minor crimes, it ultimately helps diminish the amount of more serious crimes in the eyes of the …show more content…
The story has proven to be significant in the advocacy for zero tolerance. While there was no substantial scientific evidence or basis to what occurred, it did present a negative correlation between strict policing of minor offenses and the overall environment of the subway system in New York City. Before the experiment and installation of new policies, the subway system was dank with defecation, dangerous, and simply unpleasant. After the enforcement of the new policies began, the subway system improved greatly. Today, the system is unrecognizable compared to its previous state. It is quoted that it “feels, smells and ‘tastes’ different” (Bratton & Kelling, 2013). This change became very telling of the effects of zero tolerance and what role it plays in the reduction of crime rates. Despite this clear transformation, Sousa argues that it is possible zero tolerance might lead to the negligence of police to consider the circumstances in which a minor offense might be committed and use arrest as the primary action. Counter to this, crime is crime. Those committing crimes likely know they are doing and simply choose to disregard the law, and are therefore responsible for their criminal actions and need to accept the

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