The article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the "broken windows" theory (J. Wilson and J. Kelling, 1982) as a concept for regulating public order in the context of modern megacities. The main focus is on examining the applicability of this theory in various sociocultural contexts—from its original American model to attempts at adaptation in Russian and Japanese realities. The central subject of analysis is the contradiction between the declared effectiveness of the theory (reducing fear of crime through control over visual disorder) and its methodological limitations, including the neglect of deep socioeconomic factors of crime. We paid special attention to the limitations of its applicability, particularly in analyzing contemporary challenges such as cybercrime. Our goal is to offer a new perspective on the use of the theory for law enforcement agencies, emphasizing the subjective perception of security by society. In our research, we applied a combined methodology that includes analysis of literary sources, empirical data, a comparative approach to the effectiveness of the "broken windows" theory in various social and cultural contexts, as well as an assessment of its practical application in modern conditions, including the Russian context. The theory reduces the causes of crime to visual markers (graffiti, trash), ignoring their socioeconomic nature, such as structural inequality and class character. This makes it predominantly applicable only to street crime, leaving areas of contemporary criminal activity, such as cybercrime, underexplored. Despite its limitations, the theory retains its relevance through the evaluation and implementation of informal norms that influence the perception of security. For example, the development of connections between law enforcement agencies and local communities proves to be key to strengthening citizens' trust in the police, which directly affects the level of subjective safety. The introduction of a victimization index and standardization of public opinion assessment methods can increase the effectiveness of criminological research in Russia and make it more oriented towards the real needs of communities. Additionally, a more flexible policy for accounting for intercultural and local peculiarities is required, which could improve the implementation of preventive measures through consideration of the specifics of each neighborhood and adaptive patrol services.
Anton Anatolevich Komarov (Sun,) studied this question.