The Change to Be Made in The Policy within Neighborhoods and Public Schools - Essay Example

In twenty-four hours, nearly everything valuable had been removed. Later casual vandalism began, with windows being shattered, and parts torn apart. The car became a playing ground for kids (Wilson &Kelling, 1982). Simultaneously, the car in Palo Alto, California stayed intact for over a week. When Zimbardo went up and deliberately shuttered a part of it using a sledgehammer, soon after, onlookers began to join in the vandalism. In a few hours, the vehicle had been spun upside down as well as completely vandalized.

In both places, the vandals seemed respectable, well dressed clean-cut whites. It is deemed that within a neighborhood like the Bronx wherein a history of property abandonment as well as theft are much more prevalent, destruction can take place very rapidly since the neighborhood sends out a ‘no one cares’ vibe. Related events can take place within any civilized neighborhood once communal barricades- the feel of mutual obligations and regard of civility-are let down by actions, which suggests ‘no one cares’.

An effective stratagem for vandalism prevention is to fix problems while they are minimal. Repair a broken window within a brief time and the inclination is that miscreants are less likely to smash more windows. Clean up the sidewalk daily, and the inclination is for garbage not to amass. Additionally, taking a property that does not belong to you is equal to stealing even though the property does not have an owner. Another change to the policy within neighborhoods and public schools is that people should be encouraged to report to the police any properties that are left untended.

Such changes would be productive because they will aid in preventing people from committing activities that denote that crimes such as vandalism are not illegal. The changes to the policies will impart new attitudes and moral practices that deter people and young people from engaging in illegal activities. The changes to the policies will be difficult to enact in an already established culture that dictates that any unattended property belongs to everyone and any can do as they please with such a property (O’Malley,2007).