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Applying the Broken Windows Theory to Code Enforcement in Urban Communities
legislation that shared common requirements for mortgagees or ‘banks’ to step
in after a property was abandoned by their owners and take responsibilities to

provide proper responsible party information, local property management, routine
maintenance and security. These registration programs, due to the requirements

imposed on the banks, actually provided a sense of structure and control that was D
needed in order for the banks to properly respond and for communities to feel a E
sense of control. While these programs were highly effective, the slow turnover C

rate of these properties to new owners, still left neighborhoods with homes that are E
visibly unoccupied, not well-maintained, and subject to continuous vandalism and P

trespass. T
I

The economic decline also hit property owners of homes and rentals who walked O
away from properties where there were no mortgages leaving no interested parties N

to immediately step in and take responsibility for maintenance adding another
level of concern for areas that were already economically depressed and dealing
with higher incidents of criminal activity. In a response to citizens to create safer

communities and increase livability, one of the theoretical tools used in the practice
of law enforcement, the broken windows theory, is making its way into the thinking

of how to attain environments free from visual signs of neglect and public nuisances
through its application to code enforcement efforts.

The Broken Windows Theory

The broken windows theory is based on the premise that unimpeded disorder

in urban communities’ leads to additional crime and anti-social behavior. This
criminological theory was introduced in 1982 by two social scientists, James Q.

Wilson and George L. Kelling. Prior to this viewpoint on crime, many police
agencies focused their attention unmistakably on crime fighting and addressing
more serious crimes while petty criminal behavior seemed more inconsequential,

time consuming, and unrelated to major criminal activity. The centerpiece of this
ideology is the picture of an abandoned structure with broken windows. The term

‘broken windows’ does not necessarily mean that properties in disrepair lead to
more serious crimes being committed by individuals but rather as a metaphor for an
urban environment of disorder. Therefore this theory may be easily misinterpreted

to mean that if an environment is eradicated of visual blight then more serious
crimes will not occur, such as robbery or murder, which has been the center of much

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