Editing Broken windows theory (section)

==Article and crime prevention==
[[James Q. Wilson]] and [[George L. Kelling]] first introduced the broken windows theory in an article titled "Broken Windows", in the March 1982 issue of ''[[The Atlantic Monthly]]:''
{{blockquote|Social psychologists and police officers tend to agree that if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This is as true in nice neighborhoods as in rundown ones. Window-breaking does not necessarily occur on a large scale because some areas are inhabited by determined window-breakers whereas others are populated by window-lovers; rather, one un-repaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing. (It has always been fun.)<ref name="wilson_kelling" />}}

The article received a great deal of attention and was very widely cited. A 1996 [[criminology]] and [[urban sociology]] book, ''Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities'' by [[George L. Kelling]] and Catharine Coles, is based on the article but develops the argument in greater detail. It discusses the theory in relation to [[crime]] and strategies to contain or eliminate crime from urban neighborhoods.<ref>{{Citation |first1=George |last1=Kelling |first2=Catherine |last2=Coles |title=Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities |isbn=978-0-684-83738-3 |year=1997 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/fixingbrokenwind0000kell}}.</ref>

A successful strategy for preventing vandalism, according to the book's authors, is to address the problems when they are small. Repair the broken windows within a short time, say, a day or a week, and the tendency is that vandals are much less likely to break more windows or do further damage. Clean up the sidewalk every day, and the tendency is for [[litter]] not to accumulate (or for the rate of littering to be much less). Problems are less likely to escalate and thus respectable residents do not flee the neighborhood.

[[Oscar Newman (architect)|Oscar Newman]] introduced [[defensible space theory]] in his 1972 book ''Defensible Space''. He argued that although police work is crucial to crime prevention, police authority is not enough to maintain a safe and [[crime-free]] city. People in the community help with crime prevention. Newman proposed that people care for and protect spaces that they feel invested in, arguing that an area is eventually safer if the people feel a sense of ownership and responsibility towards the area. Broken windows and vandalism are still prevalent because communities simply do not care about the damage. Regardless of how many times the windows are repaired, the community still must invest some of their time to keep it safe. Residents' negligence of broken window-type decay signifies a lack of concern for the community. Newman says this is a clear sign that the society has accepted this disorder—allowing the unrepaired windows to display vulnerability and lack of defense.<ref>{{Citation |first=Oscar |last=Newman |title=Defensible Space: Crime Prevention Through Urban Design |year=1972 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-02-000750-0}}.</ref> Malcolm Gladwell also relates this theory to the reality of [[New York City]] in his book, ''[[The Tipping Point]]''.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gladwell |url=http://gladwell.com/the-tipping-point/ |title=The tipping point |access-date=2014-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729063844/http://gladwell.com/the-tipping-point/ |archive-date=2015-07-29 |url-status=dead}}.</ref>

Thus, the theory makes a few major claims: that improving the quality of the neighborhood environment reduces petty crime, anti-social behavior, and low-level disorder, and that major crime is also prevented as a result. Criticism of the theory has tended to focus on the latter claim.<ref name="pbs-frontline">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-problem-with-broken-windows-policing/ |title=The Problem with Broken Windows Policing |last=Childress |first=Sarah |date=28 June 2016 |website=Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) |publisher=PBS Frontline |access-date=24 July 2017 |archive-date=7 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907212809/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-problem-with-broken-windows-policing/ |url-status=live }}</ref>