St. Louis gang violence and the code of the street

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Gang Research

Abstract

While crime in general has been decreasing in St. Louis, Missouri, gang violence appears to be on the rise in select areas. This paper traces the cause of gang violence in St. Louis by examining it through the deviant subcultures criminological theory of crime. Ultimately, gang violence in St. Louis is a natural consequence of marginalized residents of high poverty neighborhoods internalizing oppositional values and behaviors reflected in Elijah Anderson's code of the street, which posits that violence is a necessary tool to obtain status and respect when such is not possible through conventional means.

Publication Date

1-2015

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