Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside. Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or even break into cars.-George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson (1982)The broken windows theory is one that has been pondered inconclusively for years. The crux of the theory is that when the police crack down on seemingly insignificant, smaller crimes, the rate of larger and more serious crimes will be reduced. While obviously there may be many factors that push an individual to commit a crime, the broken windows theory suggests that one major factor is apathy from both the citizens and the governing body. A small amount of disorder, such as one broken window, will theoretically lead to another, because in the mind of a potential perpetrator, why not? In St. Louis County, the police force ...Continue Reading »The post St. Louis, Traffic Tickets, & the Broken Windows Theory appeared first on Traffic Law Center.
