Illusion of Order: The False Promise of Broken Windows Policing
For the past couple of decades, many police departments  throughout the United States have utilized the order-maintenance  approach. This method of policing has been directly influenced  by the well-known "broken windows" theory, which can be traced  to James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. Their theory suggests  that if minor forms of disorder, such as graffiti, litter,  panhandling, and prostitution, are left unattended, the  neighborhood will decline and more serious criminal activity  emerges. Examples of this type of policing include New York City  Mayor Giuliani's crackdown on "quality-of-life offenses" and  Chicago's antigang loitering ordinance. The order-maintenance  approach has received favorable attention in the popular press,  scholarly journals, public circles, and academia. Here, Harcourt  (law, Univ. of Arizona) challenges the validity of the "broken  windows" technique, brilliantly critiquing existing data and  offering alternative reasons for the seemingly successful  results of this type of law enforcement. Harcourt presents a  "wake-up" call to all those who blindly accept the "broken  windows" approach to policing. Highly recommended for all  criminology and social science collections. Tim Delaney,  Canisius Coll., BuffaloCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.