Pockets of Crime: Broken Windows, Collective Efficacy, and the Criminal Point of View

Why, even in the same high-crime neighborhoods, do robbery, drug dealing, and assault occur much more frequently on some blocks than on others? One popular theory is that a weak sense of community among neighbors can create conditions more hospitable for criminals, and another proposes that neighborhood disorder-such as broken windows and boarded-up buildings-makes crime more likely. But in his innovative new study, Peter K. B. St. Jean argues that we cannot fully understand the impact of...