Broken Windows Revisited 1

Broken Windows Revisited 2

Broken Windows Revisited 3

This 3-part reassessment of the seminal New Right / Right Realist theory covers:

1. The general theoretical and empirical background to Broken Windows - a broad introduction to some fairly standard "strengths and weaknesses" of the theory.

2. The ecological context of Broken Windows examines its historical background and critically examines Zimbardo's "Anonymity of Place" experiment - the one piece of empirical evidence in Wilson and Kelling's original formulation.

3. The final part looks at recent (2017) empirical research into Zero-Tolerance Policing in New York City and questions the central claim of Broken Windows that this form of proactive policing of minor crimes and misdemeanours prevents the development of much more serious and damaging forms of criminality.