Criminologist James Wilson has died of leukemia at the age of 80, the LA Times reports.
He was the one who came up with the “broken window theory” of policing, which helped reduce crime rates by focusing on small things, such as discarded sofas, graffiti, and broken windows, as key to attacking more serious crime. The implementation of this theory of policing over time made life better in working-class neighborhoods across the country.
He taught at UCLA and Pepperdine. Quite an interesting life’s work.
