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CENTER ON JUVENILE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXEC SUMMARY |
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| www.cjcj.org |
| Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, 54 Dore Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 | Tel: (415) 621-5661 | Fax: (415) 621-5466 |
Shattering "Broken Windows": An Analysis of San Francisco's Alternative Crime Policies
CONTACT: Daniel Macallair
E-mail: [dmacallair@cjcj.org]
Tel: (415) 621-5661 x310
Introduction
Over the past 25 years, crime control strategies that emphasize arrests, prosecutions, convictions, and incarceration have dominated criminal justice policy. These policies remain popular and are now accepted by many social commentators and policy makers as a major factor in recent crime rate declines around the country. Despite this widespread popular sentiment, San Francisco is one of the few large jurisdictions that has implemented innovative policies that do not emphasize arrest of low level offenders, increased prosecutions and prison commitments. This study examines the declining crime rates in San Francisco in comparison to select cities around the country. Although San Francisco implemented policies that were contrary to popular conservative doctrines of strict law enforcement, the city has achieved greater reductions in crime over the past decade than most jurisdictions. The results suggest a closer examination of current criminal justice policy.
Methodology
Data for this analysis was obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Census Bureau, California Criminal Justice Statistics Center, California Youth Authority, and California Department of Corrections Data Analysis Unit.
To measure changes in crime by city and county, Part I serious offenses reported to police are analyzed. The ten national comparison cities were chosen based on their designation by the United States Department of Justice as models of effective crime policy. These cities are Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, New Orleans, New York City, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. In addition, San Francisco was also compared to the three largest California cities - Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose and to the eight largest California counties.
Findings
- San Francisco experienced a larger decline in reported crime than most comparable national cities while not pursuing increased arrests, prosecutions, and prison commitments.
- Since 1995, San Francisco recorded a 33% decrease in reported violent crime compared to only 26% in New York City, despite New York's national reputation for achieving lower crime by implementing a "broken windows" policy.
- San Francisco's crime declines coincided with declining misdemeanor and felony arrest rates, while misdemeanor arrests increased in New York City.
- Between 1992 and 1998, San Francisco's violent crime decreases were unmatched by ten national comparison cities.
- In a comparison with other California counties, San Francisco recorded a 35% reduction in reported violent crime rates, second only to Orange County.
- During the time that San Francisco was experiencing dramatic crime rate reductions, the city was reducing prison commitments by 67%.
- Despite not enforcing a youth curfew and sending fewer youths to juvenile correctional facilities and adult court, San Francisco experienced equally dramatic reductions in youth crime.
- In a comparison to three California cities, San Francisco's violent crime reductions since 1992 exceeded San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Conclusion
The study shows that strict law enforcement approaches emphasizing arrests, prosecutions, convictions, and incarceration do not reduce crime rates. By following an opposite approach to cities such as New York, San Francisco achieved dramatic reductions in crime that exceeded most other national cities while decreasing arrest rates and reducing prison commitments by 67%. Based on this study, a reexamination of popular assumptions about crime and crime control are necessary.