"Broken Windows" in the news

You have likely heard of the theory, "Broken Windows," It asserts that signs of incivility, such as broken windows (but also graffiti, burned out and abandoned buildings, and the presence of untended people) attracts crime. Incivilities do so by sending a message to would-be criminals that this area is not cared about and thus not protected and thus easy to victimize!


Its founders were both conservatives, so it makes sense that the theory revolves around issues of order and disorder. After all, research shows that conservatives are hyper-sensitive to such issues, wanting things to be in their proper order.


Frankly, the theory is quite logical, and there is evidence that incivilities is linked to crime. Yet, as I showed in my book, Why Crime?, incivilities are as much an outcome of crime as a cause of it. Further, both are outcomes of larger social phenomena.


Policies resulting from the theory (e.g., aggressive stop and frisk and zero tolerance policing) have led to horrible outcomes, including racial disparities in policing as well as unjustifiable use of force by the police against often unarmed young men of color.


Yet, it is interesting that the theory's founders still support it. So indicates an article in the New York Times. In the article, one of the theory's founder, Professor Kelling, still defends the theory. At the same time, he sais that "stopping and frisking was 'overused; during the previous [city police] administration" as well as zero tolerance, which he described as “zealotry and no discretion — the opposite of what I tried to preach.”


I just wish there was more in the story as well as more in the news about the downsides of this theory as well as the police practices that emanate from it.

Stories you usually do not see in the news!

To the credit of these media organizations, they are focusing, finally, on criminal justice issues that have long deserved our attention. For example:

End Mass Incarceration Now (NY Times)

In this op-ed, the editors argue that imprisonment does not work to reduce crime, that it is too financially costly, and that it imposes other costs to society (including racial biases).


Related to this op-ed is this story:

A Modern Day Slave Plantation Exists, and It's Thriving in the Heart of America (PolicyMic)



This article shows how race continues to impact criminal justice practice.

From the article:

"Angola sits 50 miles northwest of Baton Rouge. It's the largest maximum-security facility in the United States and one of the country's most notorious prisons. In the book The Life and Legend of Leadbelly, the authors wrote, 'Tough criminals allegedly broke down when they received a sentence to Angola. ... None of them wanted to be sent to a prison where 1 of every 10 inmates annually received stab wounds and which routinely seethed with black-white confrontations.'

"Angola's expanse covers a vast 28 square miles — larger than the size of Manhattan. Tucked away in a bend of the Mississippi River, it's surrounded by water and swamp on three sides. It's an isolated penal village — the nearest town 30 miles away — and it's the only penitentiary in the country where staff members live on site. Generation after generation grow up, live and die on Angola's land.

...Of about 6,000 inmates currently in custody, roughly 70% are black and 30% are white. In October 2008, NPR reported, 'In the distance on this day, 100 black men toil, bent over in the field, while a single white officer on a horse sits above them, a shotgun in his lap.'"

It looks like this:

And then there is this gem:


How to Stop Violence (Slate)

In this article, the author suggests that it is not mental illness that produces mass violence. Instead, it is emotion, and especially anger:

"In a summary of studies on murder and prior record of violence, Don Kates and Gary Mauser found that 80 to 90 percent of murderers had prior police records, in contrast to 15 percent of American adults overall. In a study of domestic murderers, 46 percent of the perpetrators had had a restraining order against them at some time. Family murders are preceded by prior domestic violence more than 90 percent of the time. Violent crimes are committed by people who lack the skills to modulate anger, express it constructively, and move beyond it."

How refreshing to see stories of real import in the news media!

Does it matter where you get your news?

It turns out, yes, it does. These are the lead stories from different sources today:

CNN:

'OBJECT OF INTEREST'

It was found on Australia's coast

An "object of interest" in Flight 370 search was recovered several hours drive south of Perth, an Australian official tells CNN. FULL STORY

• Inside black box lab | Photos
• What if drone doesn't find plane?  
• Families want the data  
• How we comb ocean for Flight 370

SOUTH KOREAN FERRY DISASTER

Divers find no air pockets on key decks

The absence of air pockets on the third and fourth decks of the sunken ferry all but eliminates any hope of finding survivors of the disaster in South Korea. FULL STORY

More:

• Crew member died helping others
• Passenger made first distress call  
• What to do if a ship is sinking  
• Photos  

Fox News:

BOOTS ON THE GROUND: US troops
arrive in Poland amid Ukraine crisis

• Reuters
• US ARMY PARATROOPERS arrive in Poland to kick off military exercises across Eastern Europe meant to reassure NATO allies, amid Russian meddling in Ukraine.
• US journalist held hostage by pro-Russian insurgents in Ukraine
• US conducts spy flight over Russia after delay
• Pro-Russian groups tighten grip on eastern Ukraine

NY Times:

 Colleges Seek New Paths to Diversity After Court Ruling

By TAMAR LEWIN

In the wake of the Supreme Court decision upholding Michigan’s ban on racial preferences in admissions, many educators envision relying more heavily on criteria such as income.

• 49 Comments
• Graphic: Shifts Seen in Minority Enrollment

General Motors Seeks to Fend Off Lawsuits on Switch

By HILARY STOUT and BILL VLASIC

The company asked a federal bankruptcy judge to dismiss dozens of lawsuits over its handling of a defective ignition switch in millions of cars, and to bar similar cases in the future.

• 15 Comments

Washington Post:

General rebuked over bungled
sex-assault case

Craig Whitlock

The commander of U.S. forces in Japan was reprimanded after letting sexual misconduct complaints slide, but despite being disciplined, he has been moved to an important Pentagon post.

• Read: The investigation report

Has the Navy learned from its $3.2B Marine One fiasco?

Christian Davenport

The president’s copters need upgrades, a process that will test whether the Pentagon can purchase major systems without busting budgets and deadlines.