Introduction: “Broken Window Theory” states that if a broken window is not quickly repaired, other windows will break creating a sense of public apathy and neglect that attracts criminals.
To begin with, “Broken Window theory” has mix viewed. I believe that this theory has its positive and negative side as well. The “broken window theory was a good crime fighting strategy that made people feel a little safer and was able to respect their fellow officers on foot rather than their patrol cars. The theory was brought into perspective to stop minor offenses and restoring greater order to prevent serious crime. The theory posits that if law enforcement entities tolerate or fail to take seriously minor misdemeanor crime offenses, the potential …show more content…
Even though the broken window theory is to only focus on minor disorder crime both physically and socially, it gives a rise to war on the poor, racism and brutality. This theory alone led to increasing arrest for such petty crimes such as riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and playing loud music. However, one of the criticisms with zero tolerance style of policing is that it can cause undue harm to citizen. By being too aggressive, it leads officers to become more suspicious of some people even though they may not deserve it, and it can lead to false arrest or abuse. Moreover, critics think that such tactic of policing of order-maintenance leads to over incarceration or tries to impose a white middle-class morality over minorities’ communities. It also leads to police brutality if an uncivil society breeds only criminals, and then for sure a belligerent police department would only produce police brutality. Broken windows policing may well have been helpful in reducing New York 's crime rate, but there 's flatly no evidence that it 's been pivotal. It 's true that crime in New York is down more than it is nationally, but that 's just because crime went up more in big cities vs. small cities during the crime wave of the 60s through the 80s, and it then went down more during the crime decline of the 90s according to the article by Mother Jones. If there is a link between disorder enforcement and reduction in serious crime generated by increased informal social control from residents, we would expect it would take some time for these levels of social control in the community to increase. Policing studies usually use short-follow up periods and so may not capture these
To begin with, “Broken Window theory” has mix viewed. I believe that this theory has its positive and negative side as well. The “broken window theory was a good crime fighting strategy that made people feel a little safer and was able to respect their fellow officers on foot rather than their patrol cars. The theory was brought into perspective to stop minor offenses and restoring greater order to prevent serious crime. The theory posits that if law enforcement entities tolerate or fail to take seriously minor misdemeanor crime offenses, the potential …show more content…
Even though the broken window theory is to only focus on minor disorder crime both physically and socially, it gives a rise to war on the poor, racism and brutality. This theory alone led to increasing arrest for such petty crimes such as riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and playing loud music. However, one of the criticisms with zero tolerance style of policing is that it can cause undue harm to citizen. By being too aggressive, it leads officers to become more suspicious of some people even though they may not deserve it, and it can lead to false arrest or abuse. Moreover, critics think that such tactic of policing of order-maintenance leads to over incarceration or tries to impose a white middle-class morality over minorities’ communities. It also leads to police brutality if an uncivil society breeds only criminals, and then for sure a belligerent police department would only produce police brutality. Broken windows policing may well have been helpful in reducing New York 's crime rate, but there 's flatly no evidence that it 's been pivotal. It 's true that crime in New York is down more than it is nationally, but that 's just because crime went up more in big cities vs. small cities during the crime wave of the 60s through the 80s, and it then went down more during the crime decline of the 90s according to the article by Mother Jones. If there is a link between disorder enforcement and reduction in serious crime generated by increased informal social control from residents, we would expect it would take some time for these levels of social control in the community to increase. Policing studies usually use short-follow up periods and so may not capture these