This week our class spoke about the Broken Windows therelationship between order and crime. The argument that was introduced in the article revolved around the fact that the more order there was in a particular area, the less crime was an issue. In the article, the writers claimed that because there was more policing of a certain area there was also less disruption. We argued in class that having more police in one area didn’t necessarily mean that that area was safer depending on where you were at that present time. Unfortuately, the physical policing of an area was also a distinct form of regulation as many were wrongly accused of being a potential criminal and subjected to being stopped and frisked. This form of regulation amongst innocent people reminded me of the issue of thePanoptican in which buildings were constructed to regulate potential revolts from rioters. I ran across a blog post from an individual who described how the Panoptican is being reinvented today through technology. Our government has constantly been trying to overthrow Internet privacy to “prevent potential national security threats” and in several ways they have been mildly successful. Password protection won’t be able to prevent the government from viewing your internet connection and the activities that you participate in while on the web. In other countries the technology panoptican has already prevailed, but the US is the one country that will see the most backlash from this proposal. If this form of regulation is allowed everything that we use on a daily basis will technically become surveilled as our country moves into its most technologically advanced stage yet.
For More Information:
http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/ht/ht009661.htm
Travis Shillingford
I recently came across a YouTube video presented by Paul Ty Tomco in which the primary topic and focus was the “Broken Windows Theory.” According to the video the broken window theory states that police should maintain order in neighborhoods by cracking down on crimes. Neighborhoods in which buildings with broken windows that are a part of the overall appearance of the neighborhood gave off the message that criminal activity was tolerated in the community. Chaos and disorder frighten the law abiding citizens which than resulted into them not wanting to help to improve and maintain the neighborhood and community. The broken window theory does not only relate to the idea of a physical windows being broken. Other quality of life crimes that can contribute to the broken window theory include the following: public display of drinking, littering, graffiti and panhandling. These quality of life crimes can add to the chaos and disorderly conduct as well as add to the increase in crime in neighborhoods described as being low class, poor or “hood.” In an attempt to lower crime rates in these areas introducing programs that focus on the community and the people who live in the crime infested neighborhoods so that they are more social and aware and come together as a whole and collectively come up with a solution to the broken window theory problems. I personally think that if one person took the initiative and tried to make their community a better and safer environment than the community would happily get together and follow suit.
Video Link Below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLOOXTiK7LM&feature=related