Broken Window Theory: Does breaking window panes lead to more serious crimes? We discover the link between environmental conditions and people's behavior.
We at Windowo modestly know about broken windows. In fact, in the Windowo online store you can find window accessories that can save a broken window and avoid replacing it completely.
However, we have discovered that there is also a criminological theory called " broken window theory " or "broken glass theory". Given the issue we got curious, we deepened ... and here's what we discovered.
According to the broken window theory or broken glass theory there is a strong link between environmental conditions and social (or antisocial) behaviors.
In summary, the theory of broken windows says that the more a territory is subject to "deviant" behavior, the more likely it is that even more serious crimes will occur.
The significance of the broken window theory is that if the authorities severely punish even minor crimes, such as vandalism of urban decor (hence the theory), then a situation of order will be created and other more serious crimes will be avoided.
The theory of broken windows is based on the principle that the state of the urban environment influences crime in three aspects:
The interesting idea is that individuals look for signals in the environment to verify the presence of social norms in the environment and the risk of being discovered in violating these norms: one of the signals is precisely the general aspect of the area.
Hence, according to the “broken window theory”, an orderly and clean environment sends the signal that the area is monitored and that criminal behavior is not tolerated.
If in a street we find a building with broken windows, the typical behaviors of urban decay and abandonment are triggered ... in turn favoring criminal behavior. Who first came up with this idea?
Of course, we all notice these behaviors, but the first to theorize them were the social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling ( "Broken Windows", 1982 , in the pages of "The Atlantic Monthly Review").
This "broken windows theory" has been useful for crime prevention. In fact, the broken windows theory was successfully applied in the 1990s by New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose police policies were influenced by this theory.
Professor Phillip Zimbardo carried out an experiment which consisted of leaving two cars abandoned, one in a poor and conflicted neighborhood, the other in a rich and quiet area.
The car left in the rich neighborhood was left as it was while the car in the poor neighborhood was vandalized. Then Professor Zimbardo decided to break the glass of the car he had left in the respectable neighborhood and ... in the end this too was damaged and ruined.
This shows that it is not poverty itself but the lack of laws that causes damage . If a sense of order and care is not created, all behavior is allowed. At least this is the worrying signal that carelessness transmits.
The theory of broken windows theoretically explains one thing we may already know: people take care of the spaces they care about.
Broken windows and vandalism must be countered, as they are the starting point of a lack of concern for the community.
After all we have seen, we can only consider taking care of your fixtures even more important. The smarter way to do this is to look for quality window fittings. Luckily you can find the best window accessories for sale online right here on Windowo . You will see that other people in the neighborhood will imitate your virtuous behavior!
I'm Elia Caneppele, author of this article and founder of Windowo, the Italian shop specialising in the online sale of products for windows. My speciality is doing SEO for ecommerce and blogs, which, in simple terms, means getting people to find us on the Internet.
Since 2014 I have been a digital entrepreneur and, in addition to managing Windowo, I also deal with the communication of Autismo.it. I create content trying to convey as much value as possible to our customers.
Below I leave you the links to my social networks: I can't wait to get in touch with you personally.
