I talked about Broken Windows theory a couple of days ago I think. I hollered at one of my boys about it, and he saw something I didn't catch the first time around.
This theory has been one of the most important in criminology. It was first proposed in an article published 20 years ago in The Atlantic Monthly, written by Dr. James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling. The theory provided the intellectual foundation for a crackdown on "quality of life" crimes in New York City under Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.Today, "broken windows" policing is endorsed by police chiefs across the country, its proponents sought out for lectures and consulting around the world. But from the beginning, Dr. Wilson concedes, the theory lacked substantive scientific evidence that it worked.
"I still to this day do not know if improving order will or will not reduce crime," Dr. Wilson, now a professor emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles, recently said in a telephone interview. "People have not understood that this was a speculation."
Did you catch that? So basically all types of black men and women in places like New York City have criminal records over stuff as small as jay-walking over a theory that according to the primary theorist wasn't even a theory but a mere speculation.
Damn.
Of course this is perfectly obvious (folks never really need theory to throw black men and women in jail) and fits in the groove well. But I'm willing to bet that Dr. Earls theory (backed up by data gathered meticulouslyn and analyzed rigorously) will NEVER generate the same type of fervor. Not without political battles at any rate.