easy · LSAT Reading Comprehension
In sociology, the 'broken windows theory' suggests that visible signs of disorder and misbehavior in a neighborhood, such as broken windows or graffiti, create an environment that encourages further, more serious crime. The theory posits that such disorder signals a lack of social control and community care, leading residents to withdraw from public spaces and criminals to feel emboldened. Critics argue that policing based on this theory often targets low-level offenses disproportionately, leading to the over-criminalization of minority communities without addressing the root causes of crime like poverty. Despite the controversy, many cities have used the theory to justify 'quality-of-life' policing initiatives.
A city council decides to invest heavily in removing graffiti and repairing streetlights in a high-crime area, believing this will prevent more serious robberies from occurring. This policy is most likely grounded in:
- the assumption that erasing small markers of neglect will discourage the escalation to graver offenses.
- the deliberate goal of encouraging residents to withdraw from public spaces so as to restore social control.
- an effort to redress entrenched poverty by aggressively over-policing minor offenses in minority communities.
- a wholesale, principled repudiation of quality-of-life policing in neighborhoods burdened by high crime.
- the firm conviction that visible disorder has no measurable effect whatsoever on the rate of serious crime.
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