Does neighbourhood disorder make more people commit crime?

You may recall the 'Broken Windows' theory of crime reduction from the late 1980s which underpinned the 'Zero Tolerance' approach to crime in New York. The belief is that people's behaviour is dramatically affected by their environment. This idea was superbly explored in Malcolm Gladwell's book 'The Tipping Point' (highly reccommended). Is also forms the basis of much reality TV such as Big Brother.

New research from the University of Groningen has shown that the presence of graffiti can double the number of people who are prepared to steal. You can read more here: Can the Can.