This paper examines the Broken Windows Theory, originally proposed by Wilson and Kelling in 1982, which argues that visible signs of disorder such as graffiti and litter invite escalating crime in communities that fail to police themselves. The paper reviews experimental support for the theory from Kees Keizer and colleagues at the University of Groningen, then critically considers how social and cultural differences across countries introduce new variables that may alter the theory's outcomes. Drawing on Agnew's Strain Theory, the paper argues that while the theory has merit in certain contexts, its application in culturally distinct societies requires careful identification of new variables and an acknowledgment that cultural norms around vandalism and community responsibility vary significantly.
As The Economist (2008) reports, the idea that graffiti and litter can lead to more crime is an old one that was first put forward in the 1980s. The Broken Windows Theory of Wilson and Kelling (1982) argued that neighborhoods that are not taken care of physically — and that allow acts of vandalism to go unchecked, or that suffer from too many abandoned buildings where there is no sense of ownership or responsibility — will naturally attract crime because of the community's lack of self-worth and general indifference. This indifference can lead to an escalation of crime from petty offenses to more serious criminal activity. The essence of the theory is that a community can deter crime by taking responsibility for itself and policing itself: showing community pride in keeping its streets and homes clean, and demonstrating to vandals and other delinquents that their activities will not be tolerated or encouraged through silence.
Recently, Kees Keizer and his colleagues at the University of Groningen "deliberately created such settings as part of a series of experiments designed to discover if signs of vandalism, litter, and low-level lawbreaking could change the way people behave" — and the result was that Broken Windows Theory was proven correct: the small-crimes rate doubled (Economist, 2008).
Crime prevention is critical to keeping communities safe and free from harm. However, not every country and its culture are alike, and applying a theory that originated in one country and culture to another necessitates that the theory account for issues related to social and cultural differences in the new setting. These differences serve as new variables that may affect the outcome of any test. For instance, if a theory about children getting sick when exposed to coughing is developed in one classroom where all the children come from homes in poor condition, the children's background will play a part in their development of illness. If the same theory is then applied in a classroom where all the children come from well-maintained homes, the results may differ, and the theory would need to be altered to address the new inputs.
In areas where poverty is rampant, communities might suffer severely from what Broken Windows Theory identifies as a kind of domino effect: small crime leads to more and bigger crime, starting with broken windows and escalating to drugs and violence. However, if the theory were to be tested in a country where this type of expression was culturally common, the results might differ considerably.
Nonetheless, as The Economist (2008) points out, there may still be considerable merit in what was explored through the testing of the theory by Kees Keizer and colleagues. After all, "the researchers' conclusion is that one example of disorder, like graffiti or littering, can indeed encourage another, like stealing. Dr. Kelling was right. The message for policymakers and police officers is that clearing up graffiti or littering promptly could help fight the spread of crime." In poor neighborhoods, the kind of clean-up that might be feasible in wealthier areas — replacing broken windows, removing graffiti, keeping lights on at night, and maintaining the appearance of streets — may not always be possible. In such cases, law enforcement can help shoulder the burden of keeping crime from spreading by policing these areas more thoroughly. As Agnew (2008) points out, if a strain in society is not corrected or eased, it will lead to worse outcomes.
"Cross-national cultural norms and theory applicability"
"Proper research practice when testing theories in new contexts"
Economist. (2008). Can the can. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/node/12630201
Wilson, J., & Kelling, G. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/304465/
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