The Broken Windows Theory As Applied To Neighborhoods And Communities Through Patrol Allocation Has Questionable Impact

Broken Windows Theory as Applied in Criminal PolicyNameInstitutional AffiliationDate
Abstract
The issue of security is a matter of concern for every individual within a given nation. Researchers and policy makers have always come up with policies and models for handling security issues within a social setting. One of the most adapted model is the Kelling and Willisons broken windows theory of the year 1982. This model has played a great role in helping communities meet their security needs by implementation of security patrols that aim at minimizing criminal activities and social disorders in community. However the application of this model has its shortcomings that have been highlighted by various researchers and critiques. This paper analyses the broken windows theory and how it has been applied, its success and its elements of failure. The paper further recommends on the appropriate strategies for handling the shortcomings raised from the implementation of the broken windows theory.
Broken Windows Theory as Applied in Criminal Policy
The Broken Windows is a model of policing that was first described in a seminar article by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in the year 1982. The theory states that there is the need for the maintenance and monitoring of the environments in the urban areas as a way of preventing small crimes that take place and it can help to maintain an atmosphere of order and lawfulness in the community. The model mainly focuses on the importance of disorder which in this case is referred to as the "Broken Windows "and how it results in the generation of more serious crimes CITATION Jam82 \l 1033 (James & Kelling, 1982). The disorder is not directly linked to serious criminal activities that take place in the society. The theory illustrates that existence of disorder in the society can lead to increased fear and withdrawal from the residents who stay in the affected community or neighborhood. The withdrawal of the residents\will allow more serious crimes to begin taking place in that given location since there is a decrease in the level of informal social control. There is one point that comes from the theory, that disorder can cause crime, and if there is a further disorder in the society, then there will be an increase in criminal activities CITATION Jam82 \l 1033 (James & Kelling, 1982).
The Broken Windows Theory
The Broken windows theory brought various impacts on the criminal policing practice in the 1990s, and it is still very influential in the 21st Century. The theory has been applied in various countries ad states. One of the most memorable applications of the theory was in New York City. It was applied under William Bratton who was the Police Commissioner by that time. William Bratton with the other police officers believed that the order maintenance practices which were aggressive in New York City Police Department were the ones which were responsible for the decrease in the rates of crimes that took place within the city during the 1990s. He assigned many plain clothes police officers to arrest anyone who would be found breaking any law. Many people were arrested as the law was practiced indiscriminately throughout all the places in New York. It was observed that as the arrests in...