"Broken Windows" Theory Supported

The "broken windows" theory says in a neighborhood where buildings have broken windows, people are more likely to behave criminally. Law enforcement has embraced the idea - hitting petty crime hard to curb serious crime (e.g. NYC used it to justify a zero tolerance approach to squeegeeing of car windows ... and crime did go down).

Scientists have found empirical evidence to support these findings. They found that cyclists who parked their bikes near a graffiti covered wall were 2x more likely to litter than if parked near the same wall after it was painted clean.