Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsOrigins and ExplanationApplicationCriticismImpact on BehaviorPositive Environments

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Table of Contents

Origins and Explanation

Application

Criticism

Impact on Behavior

Positive Environments

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The theory has been a major influence on modern policing strategies and guided later research in urban sociology andbehavioral psychology. But it’s also come under increasing scrutiny and some critics have argued that its application in policing and other contexts has done more harm than good.

The theory is named after an analogy used to explain it. If a window in a building is broken and remains unrepaired for too long, the rest of the windows in that building will eventually be broken, too. According to Wilson and Kelling, that’s because the unrepaired window acts as a signal to people in that neighborhood that they can break windows without fear of consequence because nobody cares enough to stop it or fix it. Eventually, Wilson and Kelling argued, more serious crimes like robbery and violence will flourish.

The idea is that physical signs of neglect and deterioration encourage criminal behavior because they act as a signal that this is a place where disorder is allowed to persist. If no one cares enough to pick up the litter on the sidewalk or repair and reuse abandoned buildings, maybe they won’t care enough to call the police when they see a drug deal or a burglary either.

How Is the Broken Windows Theory Applied?

The theory sparked a wave of “broken windows” or “zero tolerance” policing where law enforcement began cracking down on nonviolent behaviors like loitering, graffiti, or panhandling. By ramping up arrests and citations for perceived disorderly behavior and removing physical signs of disorder from the neighborhood, police hope to create a more orderly environment that discourages more serious crime.

The broken windows theory has been used outside of policing, as well, including in the workplace and in schools. Using a similar zero tolerance approach thatdisciplinesstudents or employees for minor violations is thought to create more orderly environments that foster learning andproductivity.

“By discouraging small acts of misconduct, such as tardiness, minor rule violations, or unprofessional conduct, employers seek to promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, and high performance,” saidDavid TzallPsy.D., a licensed forensic psychologist and Deputy Director for the Health and Wellness Unit of the NYPD.

Criticism of the Broken Window Theory

When researchers account for those underlying factors, the connection between disordered environments and crime rates disappears.

While the broken windows theory would theorize that serious crimes would spike when the police stopped cracking down on those minor offenses, violent crimes and property crimes actually decreased during that same time period.

“Policing based on broken windows theory has never been shown to work,” saidKimberly Vered Shashoua, LCSW, a therapist who works with marginalized teens and young adults. “Criminalizing unhoused people, low socioeconomic status households, and others who create this type of ‘crime’ doesn’t get to the root of the problem,”

That biased policing happens, in part, because there’s no objective measure of disordered environments so there’s a lot of room for implicit bias and discrimination to influence decision-making about which neighborhoods to target in crackdowns.

Studies show that neighborhoods where residents are predominantly Black or Latino are perceived as more disorderly and prone to crime than neighborhoods where residents are mostly white, even when police-recorded crime rates and physical signs of physical deterioration in the environment were the same.

The Impact of Physical Environment on Behavior

While the broken windows theory and its application are flawed, the underlying idea that our physical environment can influence our behavior does hold some water. On one hand, “the physical environment conveys social norms that influence our behavior,” Tzall explained. “When we observe others adhering to certain norms in a particular space, we tend to adjust our own behavior to align with them.”

If a person sees litter on the street, they might be more likely to litter themselves, for example. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll make the leap from littering to robbery or violent assault. Moreover, litter can often be a sign that there aren’t enough public trashcans available on the streets for people to throw away food wrappers and other waste while they’re out. In that scenario, installing more trashcans would do far more to reduce litter than increasing the number of citations for littering.

“The design and layout of spaces can also signal specific expectations and guide our actions,” Tzall explained. In the litter example, then, the addition of more trashcans could also act as an environmental cue to encourage throwing trash away rather than littering.

How to Create Positive Environments to Foster Safety, Health, and Well-Being

Ultimately, reducing crime requires addressing the root causes of poverty and social inequality that lead to crime. But taking care of public spaces and neighborhoods to keep them clean and enjoyable can still have a positive impact on the communities who live in and use them.

“Positive environments provide opportunities for meaningful interactions and collaboration among community members,” Tzall said. “Access to green spaces, recreational facilities, mental health resources, and community services contribute to physical, mental, and emotional health,” said Tzall.

By creating more positive environments, we can encourage healthier lifestyle choices—like adding protected bike lanes to encourage people to ride bikes—andprosocial behavior—like adding basketball courts in parks to encourage people to meet and play a game with their neighbors.

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wilson JQ and Kelling GL.Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety. The Atlantic Monthly. 1982.Harcourt B, Ludwig J.Broken windows: new evidence from new york city and a five-city social experiment. University of Chicago Law Review. 2006;73(1).Peters M, Eure P.An Analysis of Quality-of-Life Summonses, Quality-of-Life Misdemeanor Arrests, and Felony Crime in New York City, 2010-2015. New York City Department of Investigation Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD; 2016.Sampson RJ.Disparity and diversity in the contemporary city: social (Dis)order revisited. The British Journal of Sociology. 2009;60(1):1-31. Doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01211.x

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Wilson JQ and Kelling GL.Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety. The Atlantic Monthly. 1982.Harcourt B, Ludwig J.Broken windows: new evidence from new york city and a five-city social experiment. University of Chicago Law Review. 2006;73(1).Peters M, Eure P.An Analysis of Quality-of-Life Summonses, Quality-of-Life Misdemeanor Arrests, and Felony Crime in New York City, 2010-2015. New York City Department of Investigation Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD; 2016.Sampson RJ.Disparity and diversity in the contemporary city: social (Dis)order revisited. The British Journal of Sociology. 2009;60(1):1-31. Doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01211.x

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Wilson JQ and Kelling GL.Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety. The Atlantic Monthly. 1982.Harcourt B, Ludwig J.Broken windows: new evidence from new york city and a five-city social experiment. University of Chicago Law Review. 2006;73(1).Peters M, Eure P.An Analysis of Quality-of-Life Summonses, Quality-of-Life Misdemeanor Arrests, and Felony Crime in New York City, 2010-2015. New York City Department of Investigation Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD; 2016.Sampson RJ.Disparity and diversity in the contemporary city: social (Dis)order revisited. The British Journal of Sociology. 2009;60(1):1-31. Doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01211.x

Wilson JQ and Kelling GL.Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety. The Atlantic Monthly. 1982.

Harcourt B, Ludwig J.Broken windows: new evidence from new york city and a five-city social experiment. University of Chicago Law Review. 2006;73(1).

Peters M, Eure P.An Analysis of Quality-of-Life Summonses, Quality-of-Life Misdemeanor Arrests, and Felony Crime in New York City, 2010-2015. New York City Department of Investigation Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD; 2016.

Sampson RJ.Disparity and diversity in the contemporary city: social (Dis)order revisited. The British Journal of Sociology. 2009;60(1):1-31. Doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2009.01211.x

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