Broken Window Theory

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“If the first broken window in a building is not repaired, the people who like breaking windows will assume that no one cares about the building and more windows will be broken. Soon the building will have no windows,” (Wilson and Kelling, 1982: Source 1). This is the beginning of the ‘Broken Windows Theory’ a theory which claims that if the number of small infractions with the law is high, then the number of violent and serious crimes is going to be high as well. In order to control the serious and violent crimes, the smaller violations of the law must be dealt with seriously. With law enforcers focusing on smaller crimes, it seemed as though more and more minorities and people in the lower-class were getting in more and more trouble…show more content…
With so many low-class minorities gaining records, it would make it even more difficult to join the workforce in order to escape the poverty cycle. Everything about the ‘Broken Windows Theory’ seems to make life easier for the people with money to keep making money, while it causes the poverty stricken people to be stuck in poverty. The theory was fool proof for the people in charge, they got to make quota, arresting more people and cleaning up bad neighborhoods. There is a difference though, in cleaning up and improving neighborhoods, and using this theory to justify clear class and minority profiling. The recent Eric Garner case was just another unjustified murder of an innocent black man whose murderer was let off of consequence because of the threat Eric Garner could have potentially been: so the police officer who used a prohibited choke hold was ‘just doing his job.’ “Broken windows theory has been used to justify actions against teenagers and minority group members who may not be breaking any law, but simply are perceived as a threat by other people inside or outside the community,” (Source 3). The ‘Broken Windows Theory’ is a negative way of thinking because it causes racism and extreme violence towards minorities and lower class

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