Citizen Security Policy: Zero Tolerance

Tolerance Zero is a repressive policy of citizen security that is based on the severe punishment of any type of crime or infraction, regardless of its seriousness. The judicial response must be swift and mitigating should not be taken into account. The principle of this security policy is based on the fact that if the offender of the Law is not punished quickly, he may re-offend and if he is not condemned severely he will go from committing minor crimes to crimes. The swift and severe condemnations of all types of infraction will serve as a deterrent for other individuals who intend to commit a crime and the feeling of impunity will be forgotten.

The origin of the Zero Tolerance Policy goes back to the "Safe and Clean Neighborhoods Program" of the New Jersey city on 1973. Later, in March 1982, James Wilson and George Kelling published in the magazine The Atlantic Monthly an article entitled Broken Windows, which would serve as the basis for the book of criminology Fixing Broken Windows written by George Kelling and Catherine Coles, published in 1996. In this book the "Broken Windows Theory" is established. urban environments in good condition to avoid vandalism and reduce crime.

The Broken Windows Theory was proven from 1985, during the management of George Kelling as a consultant to the New York City Transit Department. In 1990, when William J. Bratton was appointed head of that Department, the Zero Tolerance Policy was successfully implemented in the city of New York. Then, with the arrival of Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1993, the Zero Tolerance and Quality of Life programs were consolidated, considerably reducing the crime and crime rate in that city for about ten years.