Blame our broken criminal justice system on broken-windows policing

Imagine you and a few friends are winding down, relaxing around a campfire outside your homes. Sounds peaceful, right? I’m sure many of us have probably experienced something similar. But for some people, this is their reality: Cops pull up and tell everyone to disperse or else they will be searched or possibly arrested. This is the truth behind broken-windows policing. Broken windows is an antiquated type of discretionary policing that legally allows for the disproportionate discrimination and criminalization of minorities, specifically African Americans and the poor. This method should be completely put to rest as scholars have proved that it does not achieve its intended purpose, further marginalizes minorities and is unfruitful for all parties involved. Broken-windows policing was first proposed in 1982 by George Kelling and James Wilson as a solution to prevent serious crime by cracking down on minor crimes and maintaining order. With this tactic comes the discretionary process of deciding what “order” looks like, creating a space to push racialized agendas. With this type of discretionary policing, we can understand how we’ve seen a 700% increase in incarceration from 1972 to 2009, as the Sentencing Project has reported. It’s not to say that broken-window policing...