<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the norm - setting and signaling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior . The theory states that maintaining and monitoring urban environments to prevent small crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and turnstile - jumping helps to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes from happening . </P> <P> The theory was introduced in a 1982 article by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling . Since then it has been subject to great debate both within the social sciences and the public sphere . The theory has been used as a motivation for several reforms in criminal policy, including the controversial mass use of "stop, question, and frisk" by the New York City Police Department . </P> <P> James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling first introduced the broken windows theory in an article titled Broken Windows, in the March 1982 The Atlantic Monthly . The title comes from the following example: </P>

Who created the concept of the broken windows theory and what was it