James Wilson and George Kelling introduced the broken windows theory in 1982. The broken windows theory states that any minor crimes, if ignored will increase into higher and more serious crimes. This theory implies that if you control an area to be well be ordered and maintained, this could stop further acts and decrease the crime rates. Broken windows theory sparked an evolutionary change in policing and the community. The broken windows theory is a good-fighting crime strategy and suggested the way in thinking about the community. Citizens felt safer when police department conducted more foot patrol in the neighborhood and felt that police were more aware of the crime that occur. Broken windows-theory created a better environment for the community and promoted the community to stay in active programs that focused on prevention and criminal activity. In the high-crime neighborhood areas, the police worked with the community. If a window was broken then the owner of the window had to immediately replace it. If there was graffiti on the walls, they will have to repainted or scrubbed and then …show more content…
The theory is very pro-active and requires law enforcement officers to recognize, not ignore, offense and deal with it. Offenses such as graffiti, loitering, soliciting, parking violation, traffic driving, truancy, and abandoned property are minor offenses that grow into larger problems that can transform a good neighborhood into a chaotic neighborhood within the span of 10 years. However, there are a lot of disadvantages to the broken window theory. The first disadvantages to the broken windows theory is the zero-tolerance policy. Zero tolerance policing relies on the premise that the more arrests made by officers for minor crimes contributing to community disorder, the less severe crime that community will have to