1. ZERO TOLERANCE What is it?

2. DEFINITION: ‘...imposes automatic punishment for infractions of a stated rule, with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct.’ [The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1989]

3. ORIGIN? Pioneered by the NYPD. Appeared in an NYPD report in 1994. Sometimes referred to as ‘positive policing’ (UK)

4. The Broken Window Theory of Crime «Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside. Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants..» -George Kelling, James Wilson ‘Broken Windows’ 1983 – How is this connected to the idea and practice of Zero Tolerance?

5. Connections according to this theory: Visible signs of decay – litter, broken windows, graffiti, abandoned houses – shows public disinterest. Fear of crime grows, causing ‘respectable’ community members to leave. This undermines the community’s ability to maintain order and decline follows, including more crime. THEREFORE: To prevent this slide into crime, even minor misdemeanours must be pursued with the same vigour as serious crimes.. ie, ZERO TOLERANCE

8. PROBLEMS? Does not allow for human judgement/perceptions (ie, case by case basis). Forbids those in authority (ie, police) from exercising discretion, or changing punsihments to fit the circumstances. A pre-determined punishment is *always* given. Considers the poor as the criminals Reduces crime to «street crime» Excludes white collar crimes

9. EFFECTIVENESS? Works well in densely populated areas with high policing levels and large amounts of petty crime. In 1996, Det. Superintendent Ray Mullon famously promised to quit if he failed to cut crime by 20% in 18 months, earning him the nickname ‘Robocop’. By 1997, it had fallen 22% He was arrested in late 1997 on 14 charges of misconduct, and the policy of zero tolerance came in for extensive criticism in the UK.

10. Other areas of application for Zero Tolerance as Policy In schools

11. The Columbine Effect.. After Columbine, many schools adopted strict zero- tolerance policies that punish any violation of a rule, regardless of ignorance, accidents or other circumstances. Most schools have adopted zero-tolerance policies for possession or use of weapons and drugs. Some for bullying. Students, staff, parents and other school visitors who are in possession of a weapon or drug are automatically punished. School administrators are barred from considering ‘extenuating circumstances’ or using their own personal judgement.

12. Problems? Zero-tolerance has lead to many criticisms and overreactions, such as student expulsions for bringing nail clippers or a knife to cut a cake to school. No credible evidence that zero tolerance reduces violence or drug abuse by students.

13. Other Applications In the workplace: