FREE ESSAY ON ANALYSIS OF BROKEN WINDOWS

ANALYSIS OF BROKEN WINDOWS

Wilson and Kelling's article "Broken Windows" is an interesting take on crime prevention
and the psychology surrounding it. There take on crime prevention's strays from the idea
of police allocation based on crime rate and the use of foot patrol versus the use of
squad car patrol. The thesis offered by Wilson and Kelling in the article "Broken
Windows" is that "we must return to our long-abandoned view that the police ought to
protect communities as well as individuals" (Wilson 15).
Wilson and Kelling offer many suggestions on how to prevent crime and how to deal with it
when it happens. Their analogy using broken windows is a good example of a way to prevent
crime. "The sense of mutual regard and the obligations of civility are lowered by actions
that seem to signal that no one cares" (Wilson 6). They determine that if it appears as
though no one cares then crime similar in nature will occurs much more frequently and to
a greater extent. An example of that idea evolving graffiti was illustrated in the
article,
"The proliferation of graffiti, even when not obscene, confronts the subway rider with
the 'inescapable knowledge that the environment he must endure for an hour or more a day
is uncontrolled and uncontrollable, and that anyone can invade it to do whatever damage
and mischief the mind suggests'" (Wilson 7).
The graffiti, in this case, is not dangerous or even necessarily offensive. What remains
is the feeling that this is untamed area and subject to those who do not obey the law.
This is not a violent crime, nor does it cause anyone direct harm. However, Wilson and
Kelling maintain that this is only the beginning or a gateway to more serious and
daunting crime. Wilson and Kelling draw the same conclusion about the street panhandler.
If they are not dealt with, more serious criminals like muggers and robbers believe they
have a better chance getting away with crime in an area where potential victims are being
bothered and annoyed by a beggar. 
Another suggestion made by the authors is that foot patrol officers have many advantages
over that of a patrol car. It was their contention that a policeman on foot may not be as
mobile or be able to be reached as easily, but a police officer on foot made those around
him or her more comfortable and at ease then one in a car. "The door and the window
exclude the approaching citizen; they are a barrier" (Wilson 9). While in a car the
police officer looks more menacing, especially to a group of youths. Instead of
approaching the youth and his friends at a personal level the cop instead rolls down his
window. Wilson and Kelling claim that this action also effects the way they speak to
potential "troublemakers". Instead of speaking on even terms, they often take too much of
an authoritative tone and cause negative reactions by those who are intimidated. "Some
officers take advantage of this barrier, perhaps unconsciously, by acting differently
than they would on foot" (Wilson 9). This action also separates officers with everyday
citizens and possible informants. They claim that it is harder and less natural to talk
to an officer in a squad car. "You approach a person on foot more easily, and talk to him
more readily than you do a person in a car" (Wilson 9). In Wilson and Kelling's opinion,
foot patrol may not reduce crime rates, but will instead cause police officers to become
more familiar with their surroundings. The neighborhood will also be more willing to
accept law enforcement and more likely to side with officers as informants. 
A quite interesting idea Wilson and Kelling also suggest as a way to reduce crime in
residential areas, is the placement of police officers in buildings as residents where
crime is known to often occur. They claim that the presence of officers in these
residential areas will work in the same way as foot patrol does on the outside. "...the
officer likes the additional income, and the residents feel safer" (Wilson 15). 
Wilson and Kelling's article point out a few other interesting details about crime and
whom it happens to. Contrary to popular belief, the elderly and seemingly helpless are
not necessarily the targets of thieves and muggers. "Young men are more frequently
attacked than older women, not because they are easier or more lucrative targets because
they are on the streets more" (Wilson 7). Many people who feel they are targets tend to
stay off the street for the most part or avoid confrontation that would lead to a
negative outcome. The stigma all young people commit crime is proven to be adopted by the
majority of population. For example, "When an interviewer asked people in a housing
project where the most dangerous spot was, they mentioned a place where young persons
gathered...despite the fact that not a single crime had occurred there" (Wilson 7). 
Overall, Wilson and Kelling's description of how crime escalates in an area, who are
victims of crime, and how it should be solved differs very much from that of what was
determined previous to this article. Instead of crime being attributed to factors like
poverty, racism, and abnormalities, one could add lack of care in a neighborhood. Instead
of victims being the elderly or defenseless there are instead found to be the most
capable of committing the crimes themselves. Instead of putting more cops in police cars
and patrolling the area from nine to five, have fewer cops on foot and have them live in
the neighborhood they are patrolling. Wilson and Kelling pointed out many differences on
how crime works and suggested many different ways to handle it.
There are some elements of criminological theory being used in the conceiving of the
article "Broken Windows". The basis of the article's title, "Broken Windows", is that if
a window is broken in a building and not taken care of, more will appear. Another example
used in the article dealt with the vandalism of a car. The theory was that "even for
people who ordinarily would not dream of doing such things and who probably consider
themselves law-abiding" (Wilson 6). This point stresses that any person can be trained to
adopt a pattern of behavior, which is taken right from differential association theory.
Normally, the person or persons wouldn't dream of vandalizing a car, however, seeing
other people who look and act like you vandalize a car one could assume it is all right.
Another part of differential association theory Wilson and Kelling agree with is that one
should pay attention to who his/her intimates are and a higher since of community. They
agree with the analogy that "It takes a village to raise a child". They believe the
breakdown of community leads to the breakdown of individuals just like the corruption of
someone's intimates can corrupt therefore corrupt them. 
Part of another theory Wilson and Kelling agree with is sub-culture theory and the notion
of "we" versus "them. In this particular case, "we" is defined as groups of citizens on
the street, while "they" is defined as the police or law enforcement. They determined
that if we can eliminate "we" versus "them" by taking police out of their cars and onto
the streets. They believe this will create a more personable environment and breakdown
some of the social barriers or taboos between an everyday citizen and a cop. 
I believe Wilson and Kelling "hit the nail on the head". By making police officers more
formal in assisting their citizens and their surroundings, one creates a safer
environment for everyone to live in. However, many police officers only partly agree with
that conclusion. "Ninety-eight percent of officers agreed that assisting citizens is as
important as enforcing the law, but 88 percent also said that enforcing the law is an
officer's most important responsibility" (Mastrofski 3). Cops believe that it is
important but not a number one priority. Wilson and Kelling make sense and hopefully the
article they wrote would change the way people think about community policing and
victimization. 
Policing Neighborhoods: A Report from St. Petersburg Stephen D. Mstrofski Copyright
1990.
Broken Windows: The Police and Neighborhood Safety James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling
The Atlantic Monthly March 1982.