Zero tolerance

Policy of zero tolerance refers to a procedure which, morally or politically motivated, is a consistent pursuit of rights violations by public or private institutions.

Formation

The English term " Zero Tolerance Policy " was coined by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in the USA. It is based on the Broken Windows theory. The aim is to counter the neglect and crime in large cities. Pursuing a policy of zero tolerance is a form of crime prevention. The principle of the systematic crackdown can be used both on a large scale ( federal states or far countyweit ), as well as on a small scale, for example at school or in the family applied.

Examples

Examples of a systematic government use are Malaysia and Singapore, this principle has long been applied in particular in drug offenses. After the election of the mayor in 1993 in New York City Rudolph Giuliani sat as a Commissioner of the New York Police William Bratton, the strategy made ​​them successful as advocates of " Zero Tolerance " this.

Effect

The principle, in particular in areas with urban development decay ( urban decay ) and high crime rates to punish even the smallest transgressions, had in the U.S. also have negative effects, which relativize the considerable achievements: Through the success arrangements with the NYPD a rivalry within the police force was created, which led to a loss of identity ( losing corporate identity ). Furthermore, it was obvious that this strategy can lead to a mere shift of the problem: For example, the crime rate dropped rapidly in Manhattan while New York, Newark grew dramatically at the gates. The crackdown also brought civil rights to the plan, which see in the zero tolerance strategy a step into a police state.

In 2009, the murder rate in New York has reached a record low level, which is opposite to the 1970s, such a pronounced difference ( about 400 compared to 2000 murder cases ) shows that it is referred to as a statistically significant success of the zero tolerance strategy.