Broken Windows Theory: Housing and Crime Prevention, Exercises of Construction

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Fixing “Broken Windows” Housing Initiatives to Prevent Crime, Injury and Illness Presented by The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice, Office of the Chief States Attorney The Connecticut Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission Meeting December 19, 2019 at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building HOUSING BUREAU OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF STATE’S ATTORNEY https://portal.ct.gov/DCJ/Programs/Programs/Criminal-Housing-Matters : TYPES OF CASES WE HANDLE: • CRIMINAL LANDLORD-TENANT MATTERS – Criminal Lockout, Illegal utility shut-off on tenant by landlord, Criminal Damage of landlord’s property by a tenant, Criminal Trespass by landlord into tenant’s unit, Bad checks for rent or security deposit. • STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE VIOLATIONS WITH COMPLIANCE AS THE GOAL – Fire Safety, Building, Health, Housing, Zoning and Anti-Blight Criticisms of “Broken Windows” • Motivated “zero tolerance” policing, wherein officers arrest for petty crimes. • In practice resulted in stopping, frisking and arresting more people, particularly in high crime areas which were populated with minorities and low income persons. • Resulted in a spike in reports of police unfairly targeting minorities, especially Black and Hispanic men. Consider the Theory (The famous evocation of how disorder begins) A piece of property is abandoned, weeds grow up, a window is smashed. Adults stop scolding rowdy children; the children, emboldened, become more rowdy. Families move out, unattached adults move in. Teenagers gather in front of the corner store. The merchant asks them to move; they refuse. Fights occur. Litter accumulates. People start drinking in front of the grocery; in time, an inebriate slumps to the sidewalk and is allowed to sleep it off. Pedestrians are approached by panhandlers. Look again at the first steps… • A piece of property is abandoned • Weeds grow up • A window is smashed Abandoned Housing/Crime Studies • 1993- Criminologist William Spelman in Austin, TX : Crime rates on blocks with open abandoned buildings were twice as high as rates on matched blocks without open buildings. • 2005 – Sociologist Lance Hannon in NYC: in high poverty areas, the number of abandoned houses in a given census track correlated with homicide levels. Remediating Abandoned, Inner City Buildings Reduces Crime and Violence in Surrounding Areas https://safeguardproperties.com/remediating-abandoned-inner-city-buildings-reduces-crime-and-violence-in-surrounding- areas-penn-study-finds/ WHY INCREASE CODE ENFORCEMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH? 1 in 10 have water leaks 1 in 6 have structural problems 1 in 4 have lead based paint Asthma in Connecticut Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system that is characterized by reversible obstruction of the airways and airway hyper-responsiveness to a variety of stimuli. It has been found that the following population subgroups are disproportionately affected by asthma: children, females, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Blacks, and residents of the state's five largest cities. Connecticut Statistics: • Among Connecticut residents surveyed in 2018, 62,400 (9.7%) children and 290,300 (10.3%) adults suffered from asthma. • Asthma is the single most avoidable cause of hospitalization, yet it is consistently one of the most common admitting diagnoses in pediatrics. It is also the number one reason children miss school. • In 2018, Connecticut incurred $102 million acute care charges due to asthma as a primary diagnosis, of which $74 million (73%) were charged to public funds (Medicaid or Medicare). • Residents from the five largest cities (Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, and Waterbury) account for 18% of Connecticut’s total population, yet they account for nearly half (44% or $43 million) of the $102 million asthma acute care charges in 2018. CT’s Aging Housing Stock •78% of CT’s housing stock was built prior to 1980. •48% of CT’s housing stock was built prior to 1960. •35% of CT’s housing stock was built prior to 1950. (US Census, 2000) •Approximately 31% of CT housing is renter occupied. (US Census, American Community Survey, 2009) CT’S STATE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN te Health Improvement Plan https://portal.ct.gov/ DPH/State-Health-Planning/Healthy-Connecticut/Healthy-Connecticut-2020 ICC Property Maintenance Code Whole or Partial U.S. State Adoption Map (2018) Implemented Statewide: District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia • Housing Inspections Directors Of Health CGS §47a-50 to 55 (enacted 1949) Public Health Enforcement of Health and Safety Standards is Mandated but the Sections Are Antiquated Applies in rentals in one or two family dwellings, as well as tenement houses and mobile homes. Provides for enforcement by local health official. Enforcement obligation may be shared or transferred by municipal ordinance. (see next slide). CT’s Energy Savings Programs are Paying for Housing Improvements as a Great Investment in Energy Efficiency and Health CT Children’s Healthy Homes Program https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/community-child- health/community-child-health-programs/healthy-homes-program/ CT Green Bank https://ctgreenbank.com/financing-for-health-safety-issues/