User:Lemoneww/Broken windows theory

Case Studies
New York City

According to a 2001 study of crime trends in New York City by Kelling and William Sousa, rates of both petty and serious crime fell significantly after the aforementioned policies were implemented. Furthermore, crime continued to decline for the following ten years. Such declines suggested that policies based on the Broken Windows Theory were effective. Later, in 2016, Brian Jordan Jefferson used the precedent of Kelling and Sousa's study to conduct fieldwork in the 70th precinct of New York City, which it was corroborated that crime mitigation in the area were concerning "quality of life" issues, which included noise complaints and loitering. The falling crime rates throughout New York City had built a mutual relationship between residents and law enforcement in vigilance of disorderly conduct.

Mexico City

An 18-month study by Carlos Vilalta in Mexico City showed that framework of Broken Windows Theory on homicide in suburban neighborhoods was not a direct correlation, but a "concentrated disadvantage" in the perception of fear and modes of crime prevention. In areas with more social disorder (such as public intoxication), an increased perception of law-abiding citizens to feel unsafe amplified the impact of homicide occurring in the neighborhood. It was also found that it was more effective in preventing instances of violent crime among people living in areas with less physical structural decay (such as graffiti), lending credence to the Broken Windows Theory basis that law enforcement is trusted more among those in areas with less disorder.

Furthering this data, a 2023 study conducted by Ricardo Massa on residency near clandestine dumpsites associated economic disenfranchisement with high physical disorder. The neighborhoods that had high concentrations of landfill waste were correlated with crimes (such as vehicle theft and robbery), and most significantly crimes related to property. In a space where property damage and neglect is normalized, a person's response to this type of environment can also greatly be affected by their perception of their surroundings. It was also concluded that non-residents of these high-concentration areas tended to fear and avoid these locations, seeing as there was typically less surveillance and lack of community efficacy surrounding clandestine dumpsites. However, despite this fear, Massa also notes that, in this case, individual targets for crime (such as homicide or rape) were unlikely compared to the vandalism of public and private property.

Small Cities

Research in areas away from large urban centers have also had an impact on the public's view of urban life. According to a 2012 study done by David O'Brien and Richard Kauffman Jr. on the small city of Binghamton, NY, the perception by residents that community efficacy is high correlated with higher prosociality than disordered neighborhoods. Additionally, it was noted that the social response in a neighborhood with high collective efficacy have more success in developing high prosociality within the community. O'Brien and Kauffman found that, in spite of disorder, the human relationships, mentoring, and social communities one is brought up in affects the likelihood of one committing crime. The local social practices of people within a neighborhood can drastically affect how one perceives their own community when compared to the next.