History Matters
The history of broken windows policing[][][] is shown below. This practice most affects people with marginalized identities. To address this problem, some people suggest (1) changing policing to focus on major crimes (not minor offenses) []and (2) explaining why police are present. [] Boston adopted broken windows policing in the 1980s and expanded it in 2006. []More recently, Boston has shifted to community policing. Police work with communities to fight crime, improve quality of life, and reduce the threat of crime. []This includes:
- Creating neighborhood response teams.
- Hosting gun buy-back programs.
- Improving the built environment.
- Encouraging community members to work together more.
[VSE11] Bullard, R. D. (1994). The Legacy of American Apartheid and Environmental Racism. Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, 9(2). https://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/jcred/vol9/iss2/3/
[VSE13] Howell, K. B. (2016). The Costs of “Broken Windows” Policing: Twenty Years and Counting. Cardozo Law Review. https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cl_pubs/124/
[VSE14] 33 N.Y.U. Rev. L. & Soc. Change 271 2009 https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1166&context=cl_pubs
[VSE16] Brook, Daniel. The cracks in ‘broken windows’. The Boston Globe. February 19, 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/02/19/the_cracks_in_broken_windows/ http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/02/19/the_cracks_in_broken_windows/
[VSE17] Evans, W. B. (n.d.). Successful Place-Based Policing Strategies: Community Policing. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/BPDPRESENTATION.PDF https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/BPDPRESENTATION.PDF
[VSE6] Hinkle, J. C., & Weisburd, D. (2008). The irony of Broken Windows Policing: A micro-place study of the relationship between disorder, focused police crackdowns and fear of crime. Journal of Criminal Justice, 36(6), 503–512. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047235208001128?via%3Dihub
[VSE7] Kamalu, N. C., & Onyeozili, E. C. (2018). A Critical Analysis of the ‘Broken Windows’ Policing in New York City and Its Impact: Implications for the Criminal Justice System and the African American Community. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies: AJCJS, 11(1). https://www.proquest.com/docview/2046674016