Research news: Study bolsters "broken windows" policing theory

The News:
Study bolsters "broken windows" policing theory
People are found to be more likely to commit small offenses when they see other lawlessness such as graffiti.
By Karen Kaplan Los Angeles Times
Updated: 11/21/2008 12:48:32 AM MST

In a series of real-world experiments, people exposed to graffiti, litter and other cues of lawlessness were more likely to commit small crimes, according to a study published today that bolsters the controversial "broken windows" theory of policing.
The idea is that low-level offenses such as vandalism and panhandling create an environment that breeds bigger crimes. According to the theory, police can help head off serious violence by keeping minor infractions in check.
Dutch researchers tested the psychological underpinnings of the theory and found that signs of social disorder damped people's impulse to act for the good of the community, allowing selfish and greedy instincts to take over. The results appear in the journal Science.
Community policing strategies based on the "broken windows" theory have taken root in cities across the U.S. and around the world since it was proposed in 1982.
Most famously, New York City saw a 50 percent reduction in crime in the 1990s after then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani and then-police chief William Bratton cracked down on squeegee-wielding panhandlers and the like. They credited the "broken windows" approach for their success.
However, an array of social scientists examined the city's crime statistics, and many of them concluded that factors like the booming economy and decline of crack cocaine were actually responsible for the dramatic improvement.
Denver also has experimented with the strategy and claimed success.
Kees Keizer, a graduate student in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, thought psychology and sociology could add to the debate. Read on...

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science (click on Full Text under Article views).