broken windows theory
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Pruitt-Igoe-vandalized-windows.jpg/220px-Pruitt-Igoe-vandalized-windows.jpg)
Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]After article propounding the theory by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, “Broken Windows”, Atlantic Monthly (March 1982).
Proper noun
[edit]- (criminology) A criminological theory stating that signs of urban decay (e.g. broken windows, graffiti) signal that an area is not monitored, encouraging more destructive criminal behavior.
- 2014, Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven, Picador (2022), page 249:
- Clark disliked the general state of unshavenness, partly for aesthetic reasons and partly because he was a believer in the broken-windows theory of urban-crime management, the way the appearance of dereliction can pave the way for more serious crimes.