Quality of Life Enforcement

[sheclown]

First of all, it is useful to see if the "Quality of Life" enforcement/Broken Window (using petty offenses to attempt to control the larger ones) actually works.  We can all use anecdotal examples, but let's look to the studies which have been done to prove/disprove its effectiveness.

[sheclown]

James Q. Wilson and George Kelling developed the "broken window" thesis. Their thesis suggests that a certain sequence of events can be expected in deteriorating neighborhoods: evidence of decay (broken windows, accumulated trash, deteriorated building exteriors) which remains in the neighborhood for a reasonably long period of time causes people who live and work in the area to feel more vulnerable and to begin to withdraw. They become less willing to intervene to maintain public order (for example, to attempt to break up groups of rowdy teens loitering on street corners) or to address physical signs of deterioration.

In response to this, some vandals may become bolder and intensify their harassment and vandalism. This makes residents even more fearful and less likely to participate in community upkeep. Offenders now may come in from outside the area, sensing that the neighborhood has become a vulnerable and less risky site for crime.

"One unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares," Wilson and Kelling have written, "and so breaking more windows costs nothing."

http://www.answers.com/topic/broken-window-thesis

[Springfielder]

First of all, it is useful to see if the "Quality of Life" enforcement/Broken Window (using petty offenses to attempt to control the larger ones) actually works.  We can all use anecdotal examples, but let's look to the studies which have been done to prove/disprove its effectiveness.

I would say that the proof would be found in the statistics of arrests in that given area when it started with a minor offense and then resulted in an arrest for a more serious one....however, I don't know if such stats are kept...which would mean that there's really no way to track it.