NCJ Number
178750
Editor(s)
Roger H. Burke
Date Published
1998
Length
123 pages
Annotation
These nine articles present the perspectives of researchers and practitioners on the arguments for and against zero-tolerance policing in the United States and the United Kingdom
Abstract
The first chapter notes that zero-tolerance policing entails a series of policing strategies theoretically informed by the broken-windows philosophy, which proposes that unrepaired vandalized property and incivilities on the streets send a message that nobody cares and produce an atmosphere in which serious crime will flourish. Thus, police proactively and assertively confront antisocial behavior, minor offenders, and offenses related to the quality of life. Other chapters critically examine the necessary sociocultural preconditions for the successful implementation of widely acceptable zero-tolerance strategies, challenge the opinion that zero tolerance and problem-oriented policing are incompatible policing philosophies, and warn of the potential civil liberties implications of zero-tolerance strategies. Further chapters focus on concerns that policing strategies are directed mainly against excluded groups such as homeless persons and beggars and present an alternative model that is also based on the broken-windows philosophy. Chapter notes, index, and descriptions of other books from the same publisher