Broken windows is broken: study shows that a more focused approach to tackling street violence can be more effective.

For decades broken windows – the theory that tackling small nuisances will reduce the risk of more serious crime – has dominated policing in America. But new thinking about policing instead uses an approach which focuses resources on the small number of people who drive street violence. Michael Sierra-Arevalo and researchers at Yale University analyze one such initiative – Project Longevity – in New Haven, Connecticut. They find that the program can be linked to a significant reduction in the monthly number of group member shootings and homicides.