MAKES NO SENSE, DUDE!

The broken windows theory is a criminological concept that dictates that monitoring, maintaining and preventing minor disorders and vandalism in urban environments can help prevent larger problems.   The theory was first introduced in a 1982 article in Atlantic Monthly by social scientists James Wilson and George Kelling.  How does the theory work and how does it relate to Chicago?

The theory, and its title, are best explained by this excerpt from the article:

“Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.  Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.”

In an interview for The Academy of Achievement, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani explained why he was a proponent of the broken windows theory in greatly reducing crime in his city.

“The idea of it is that you had to pay attention to small things, otherwise they would get out of control and become much worse. And that, in fact, in a lot of our approach to crime, quality of life, social programs, we were allowing small things to get worse rather than dealing with them at the earliest possible stage. …So we started paying attention to the things that were being ignored. Aggressive panhandling, the squeegee operators that would come up to your car and wash the window of your car whether you wanted it or not -- and sometimes smashed people's cars or tires or windows -- the street-level drug-dealing; the prostitution; the graffiti, all these things that were deteriorating the city. So we said, ‘We're going to pay attention to that,’ and it worked. It worked because we not only got a big reduction in that, and an improvement in the quality of life, but massive reductions in homicide, and New York City turned from the crime capital of America to the safest large city in the country for five, six years in a row. …You've got to pay attention to everything, and you can't give criminals a sense of immunity.”

So if the broken windows approach to crime worked in New York, it would seem to make sense that Chicago should follow the same pattern.  But newly appointed Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy is not taking a page from Giuliani’s playbook and instead is calling an audible that could lead to a shift in police attitude towards people (CRIMINALS) caught with small amounts of cannabis (marijuana).

This came about because Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle spoke last week about how people arrested for possessing small quantities of drugs often clog up the penal system.  So instead of figuring out why the pipeline in the courts is “clogged” with arrests, a decision is made not to arrest criminals!

Under Illinois marijuana laws (720 ILCS 550/4), it is unlawful for any person knowingly to possess cannabis, in any measurable quantity.

1. Not more than 2.5 grams: Class C misdemeanor (up to 30 days in jail, fines up to $2500)
2. More than 2.5 grams but not more than 10 grams = Class B misdemeanor;
3. More than 10 grams but not more than 30 grams = Class A misdemeanor; (Subsequent offense = Class 4 Felony)
4. More than 30 grams but not more than 500 grams = Class 4 felony; (Subsequent offense = Class 3 felony)
5. More than 500 grams but not more than 2,000 grams = Class 3 felony;
6. More than 2,000 grams but not more than 5,000 grams = Class 2 felony;
7. More than 5,000 grams = Class 1 felony.

So instead of enforcing the law, as police are supposed to do, McCarthy wants to just issue citations for possession instead of making arrests.  The issue here is not whether you agree with marijuana possession laws or not.  It is absurd that a police superintendent should talk about how the police are not going enforce a particular law.

Broken windows theory teaches us that cleaning up small offenses leads to a reduction in major offenses. McCarthy was a beat officer in New York City who rose to deputy commissioner and served under Mayor Giuliani.  He knows that the broken windows approach to fighting crime is successful and produces results.  Why wouldn’t he apply the same principles in Chicago?  Makes no sense, dude.