Environmental Crime Prevention: Broken Windows and Zero Tolerance Policing
Environmental approaches to crime prevention focus on how visible signs of disorder in a neighbourhood affect crime, as in James Q. Wilson and George Kelling's 'broken windows' theory (1982), which argued that unrepaired damage and neglect signal that an area is not monitored, encouraging further disorder and, over time, more serious crime.
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Method
- Name Wilson and Kelling's 'broken windows' theory (1982) precisely and explain the causal chain it proposes: visible disorder signals a lack of monitoring, which weakens informal social control and residents' sense of ownership, which allows minor disorder to escalate into more serious crime.
- Define zero tolerance policing as the practical application of broken windows theory: a strategy of strict, consistent enforcement of even minor offences and incivilities (e.g. fare-dodging, public drinking, graffiti), rather than police using discretion to overlook them.
- Use New York City in the 1990s, under police commissioner William Bratton, as the named example most associated with zero tolerance policing, noting that recorded crime fell sharply in this period.
- Give a balanced evaluation of the New York example: state clearly that sociologists debate how much of the fall in crime was caused by zero tolerance policing itself, since other factors, such as the wider US economic upturn and demographic change, were happening at the same time, and similar falls occurred in some cities that did not adopt the same policing strategy.
- Apply labelling theory as the main criticism: zero tolerance policing concentrates stops and arrests in specific areas and on specific groups, which can lead to over-policing of poor and minority ethnic communities, criminalising minor or survival-related behaviour and damaging trust between police and residents.
- Link this criticism to Cicourel's concept of police typifications (CR3) and to the ethnicity patterns discussed in CR5, to show how a theory that sounds neutral (fixing disorder) can have unequal effects in practice.
- For a 12-mark 'discuss' question, weigh the theoretical logic and the New York evidence in favour of zero tolerance against the displacement, labelling and over-policing criticisms, and reach a conclusion about how much confidence sociologists should place in the strategy.
Worked example
A city council notices that a housing estate with broken street lighting, unrepaired vandalism and litter has a much higher recorded crime rate than a similar estate nearby that is well maintained. The council decides to repair the lighting and vandalism and introduce strict enforcement of minor offences such as littering. Use broken windows theory to explain the council's reasoning.
- Identify the visible signs of disorder described, broken lighting, unrepaired vandalism and litter, as the type of signal Wilson and Kelling's broken windows theory says encourages further disorder.
- Explain the theory's proposed mechanism: these visible signs suggest to residents and potential offenders that the area is not monitored or cared for, which can weaken informal social control over time.
- Explain why this can escalate: once minor disorder goes unchallenged, Wilson and Kelling argue it emboldens further, more serious offending, since the area appears to lack effective guardianship.
- Identify the council's response as combining designing out crime (repairing lighting and vandalism) with zero tolerance policing (strict enforcement of minor offences such as littering), both intended to restore visible order and deter escalation.
- Conclude by noting a limitation the council should consider: strict enforcement of minor offences risks over-policing residents for low-level behaviour, so the strategy needs to be applied fairly to avoid damaging trust between police and the community.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What is 'broken windows' theory, and who developed it?Show answer
Answer: A theory developed by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling arguing that visible signs of neglect in a neighbourhood, such as broken windows or graffiti, signal a lack of monitoring and can encourage further, more serious disorder and crime.
Q2What is zero tolerance policing?Show answer
Answer: A policing strategy of strict, consistent enforcement of even minor offences and incivilities, based on the reasoning that tackling small problems early prevents escalation to more serious crime.
Q3Which city and police commissioner became most closely associated with zero tolerance policing in the 1990s?Show answer
Answer: New York City, under police commissioner William Bratton.
Q4Give one reason sociologists are cautious about crediting zero tolerance policing alone for the fall in crime in 1990s New York.Show answer
Answer: Other factors were happening at the same time, such as the wider US economic upturn and demographic change, and some cities that did not adopt zero tolerance also saw crime fall.
Q5Give one criticism of zero tolerance policing linked to labelling theory.Show answer
Answer: It can lead to over-policing of poor and minority ethnic communities, criminalising minor or survival-related behaviour and damaging trust between police and residents.
Q6Explain the causal chain broken windows theory proposes, from visible disorder to serious crime.Show answer
Answer: Visible disorder signals the area is not monitored, which weakens informal social control and residents' sense of ownership, which allows minor disorder to go unchallenged and can escalate into more serious crime over time.
Q7How does zero tolerance policing put broken windows theory into practice?Show answer
Answer: By having police strictly and consistently enforce even minor offences, rather than using discretion to overlook them, on the theory that this prevents escalation.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Sociology exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two features of zero tolerance policing.
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Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 4 available
Explain, using sociological evidence, the theory behind broken windows policing and one criticism of it.
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Nothing ticked yet - 8 available
Discuss how far sociologists would agree that zero tolerance policing is an effective way to reduce crime in local communities.
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Nothing ticked yet - 12 available
See real GCSE Sociology past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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