<P> The theory was introduced in a 1982 article by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling . Since then it has been subject to great debate both within the social sciences and the public sphere . The theory has been used as a motivation for several reforms in criminal policy , including the controversial mass use of `` stop , question , and frisk '' by the New York City Police Department . </P>
who created the concept of the broken windows theory and what was it
James Q. Wilson George L. Kelling