The impact of the policy in New York appeared to be dramatic with crime levels (including very serious crimes like murder) falling rapidly. Fans of Broken Windows on the political right in America hailed this as a success, but there are two main criticisms.

1) This policy coincided with a period of economic growth and a reduction in poverty. Those who feel that social conditions are a stronger driver of crime than broken windows suggest that the crime rates in New York fell because the social conditions for people in New York significantly improved.

2) Some accused Broken Windows of achieving control without justice. Yes, the crime rates fell, but people were in prison for very minor misdemeanours. Furthermore, there was evidence to show that the policy affected some minority ethnic groups, such as African Americans and Latin Americans, much more than the majority white population. While poor black people might be arrested for public drunkenness or jay-walking, white middle-class students celebrating the start of their freshman year doing exactly the same thing are tolerated.