The Broken Windows Theory

The term “broken windows” refers to the sequence, “if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken.” The Broken Windows theory, formed by George Kelling and James Wilson in 1982, describes the roles that police officers should have in order to reduce crimes. Kelling and Wilson said that police officers must maintain and monitor urban environments to prevent small crimes such as vandalism and public drinking to create a higher level of public order in a community. If these petty-crimes can be prevented, then larger ones can be prevented too. One of the ways this can be implemented is if police officers leave their patrol cars and walk their assigned patrol area on foot. In this scenario, officers can gain

In both the article and in the textbook, it refers to an experiment in 1969 by psychologist Phillip Zimbardo. He placed in a broken down automobile without license plates in two different types of neighborhoods, one in the Bronx and another in Palo Alto, CA. Within minutes the car in the Bronx was being attacked by vandals to take everything of value. But, the automobile in CA sat untouched until Zimbardo smashed part of it with a sled hammer. Then within hours the automobile was completely destroyed by vandals. These experiments closely replicate examples of deviance and conformity. The first family that decided to vandalize the Bronx car was deviating heavily from social norms. As soon as this occurred, other Bronx citizens believed these actions were normal and they could also join in; they were conforming to this new norm. The Palo Alto automobile is an example of conformity, after the first person deviated from the norm of leaving the automobile alone, Zimbardo in this situation. Most citizens now viewed it as accepted and something they could also take part in, they are conforming to this new form of