March 9, 2001

If We Fix Broken Windows in a Neighborhood, Can We Rescue It From Crime?

To the Editor:

There are several problems with quantifying the broken-windows theory that need to be addressed before we can hope to validate it ("Poking Holes in the Theory of 'Broken Windows,'" February 9). First, we need to remember exactly what the theory entails. In many discussions about it, the only thing spoken of is the correlation between disorder and serious crime. These elements are on the extreme ends of a four-part causal chain. Disorder is theorized to cause fear. This