Broken Windows Assessment
Broken windows assessment is the systematic measurement of physical and social disorder — graffiti, litter, broken windows, public drinking, loitering — tied to the hypothesis that visible disorder signals that no one is in control and thereby invites further crime. Stated by Wilson and Kelling in 1982 and put on a rigorous empirical footing by Sampson and Raudenbush's systematic social observation, it turns the metaphor of an unrepaired broken window into a quantified, reliable neighborhood scale.
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Sources
- Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. L. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. The Atlantic Monthly, 249(3), 29–38. link ↗
- Sampson, R. J., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1999). Systematic social observation of public spaces: A new look at disorder in urban neighborhoods. American Journal of Sociology, 105(3), 603–651. DOI: 10.1086/210356 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 22). Broken Windows Theory and Physical Disorder Assessment. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/criminology/broken-windows-assessment
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