The Broken Window Theory

This article is from Japan Today:

Juvenile crime and the Broken Window theory

Psychiatrist Hideki Wada discusses the social problem of juvenile crime and the trend toward younger offenders and more vicious offenses in Seiron magazine in an article titled "Considering the Broken-Window Theory and Zero Tolerance as Ways to Prevent Child Crime."

According to Wada, in statistical terms the number of murders committed by minors is not rising rapidly. There are often ways to predict and prevent serious crimes, he says.

In many cases, perpetrators commit minor infractions before moving on to serious offenses, notes Wada, asserting the need to monitor and supervise them at this early stage and, if necessary, to take forcible steps.

The broken-window theory, explains Wada, holds that ignoring a smashed window encourages vandals to think that a building is unsupervised and invites them to commit more serious crimes.

It signifies the importance of enforcement and supervision at the stage when offenses remain minor. Zero tolerance, he says, has had a dramatic impact in American schools.

Under this system of rigidly enforcing school rules without listening to excuses, students are sent to a correctional school if they are late three times or have one fight and are expelled if they use drugs.

Wada also introduces the results of a survey showing that 80percent of children would welcome stiffer penalties for juvenile crime and stresses to the media that crime reporting in which understanding is expressed for the feelings of the perpetrator is dangerous. (Foreign Press Center) September 10, 2004

This is the second time I've come across this theory this week, but I guess that it has been around for a while, since I am under the impression that it was attributed to Guiliani while mayor of NYC.

Update:Wait I found this reference:

The "Broken Window" theory

This explanation of the "broken window" theory was written by Henry G. Cisneros when he was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. It was published in a series of essays titled "Defensible Space: Deterring Crime and Building Community" - January 1995.

Where have I been?

Comments

[Eric]

This theory is also discussed in an interesting book called "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell, a writer for The New Yorker. His site, gladwell.com, has all of his New Yorker pieces online.