The End of Policing

The broken window theory holds that minor signs of disorder in a community, like a broken window, encourage other forms of social disorder and can lead to higher rates of crime. Broken window policing targets these small signs of disorder and minor crimes to foster an environment that’s less hospitable or mitigates serious crime. Vitale argues that this type of policing “targets low-level infractions for intensive, invasive, and aggressive enforcement” (5). This form of policing is especially prevalent in major cities where racial tensions are high. It maintains a punitive approach toward people of color in an attempt to deter criminal behavior.

As Vitale describes it, “Procedural justice deals with how the law is enforced, as opposed to substantive justice, which involves the actual outcomes of the functioning of the system” (13). Historically, procedural practices continue to be fundamentally biased against people of color in the US. This has resulted in numerous attempts to reform police and legal practices. However, they have largely been unsuccessful, as evidenced by the continued over-representation of people of color in prisons, i.e., the actual outcome of the justice system.

Many calls for police reform that revolve around improving training and increasing diversity in the police force fail to acknowledge the “legacy of racism” (33). There are historical roots of racism that are based in slavery, colonialism, and other economic systems that diminished the non-white members of society. These practices are not left in the past, as their results continue to affect the opportunities and outcomes of marginalized groups today. When discussed in relation to policing, Vitale explains how much of the institutional culture of the police in the US is built on a structure that is fundamentally racist.