Scholarly Articles (Jake Innis)

Street Crime and Street Culture

    This scholarly source analyzes street crime, street culture and essentially the ‘code of the street,’ from an economists point of view.  This is very interesting, as many people tend to view crime as an economic factor, instead of a result of poor economic status in an area.  The article points out that  individuals go through a decision making process in which they decide whether or not the crime they are considering committing will reap benefits that will outweigh the potential cost of punishment of their actions.  This view is almost identical to a store owner deciding whether the cost of the product they purchase will be worth it in the end when it is sold to customers.  In other words, is the revenue worth the cost? 
    The article contests that the code of the street is followed because it entails many social benefits in an urban neighborhood.  In order to receive such benefits and respect, one may be prompted to commit a crime as a right of passage for the individual into the acceptance of their peers.  Silverman argues that although the street code can persuade many individuals into committing crime, there are a great deal of cases where the risk exceeds the gain, or the gain does not directly benefit the person committing the crime, which may lead to a break from the person and the crime.  In other words, if a person recognizes the possible charges they could face as outweighing the possible benefit’s the could gain from committing the crime, they will become dissuaded from committing such a crime, and put themselves above the code of the street.
    Unfortunately, this is an exception to the rule, rather than the rule itself.  The code of the street dominates impoverished neighborhoods across the globe.  Acceptance of one’s peers exceeds all other factors in one’s life in importance, and one will do anything, including falling to crime, to gain such acceptance.  It is no wonder why many of these people drop out of school - they view education as a waste of their time.  Many believe that they will end up in the same run-down state regardless if they graduate high school or not, and therefore, drop out the first chance they get.  Others believe they can become more successful selling drugs or robbing people on the street than they will with whatever job they can attain with a high school degree.  This shows the direct correlation between teenagers abiding by the code of the street and drop out rates.
    Students will not be able to stay in school so long as the outside pressure of the code of the street exists.  The code presents education as frivolous and a waste of a person’s time, as they will not succeed with or without a degree, so they should stop wasting their time, and pursue their life of crime early.  In many cases, students are directly discouraged from going to school, as they are jeered and attacked for doing so.  When, and only when, education redeems itself as the worthy cause it is, will a person’s motivation to attend school overshadow the pressure a student experiences in an inner-city neighborhood.

Silverman, Dan Street Crime and Street Culture.  International Economic Review, Vol. 45.  Blackwell Publishing, Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania, 2004.



Gangstas, Thugs, and Hustlas:
Identity and the Code of the Street in Rap Music

    This scholarly article begins by defining the code of the street as a ‘black youth culture.’  This is appropriate (although it does not strictly pertain to black neighborhoods) as the code of the street has turned into something that resembles a culture far more than it does a passing fad or ‘code.’  Entire neighborhoods are dominated by such a culture, which is marked by the undesirable pock characterized by high crime rates, drug use, violence, and theft. 
    Rap music is the main focal point of the article, which is interesting to read about in a scholarly article.  The article analyzes the prominence of the code of the street in music, and how it advocates violence and crime.  The article is sure to point out that the activities condoned by the music is not only alive in the songs, but it is rather a direct representation and reflection of real life on the streets of inner-city communities.  These conditions in impoverished areas of cities have created cultural adaptations which run in accordance with the code of the streets more so than they do with federal and local laws. 
    Regrettably, in places where the code of the streets reigns as the supreme authority and influence, violence is almost always prevalent and accepted as a common part of life.  This means, wherever there is a code of the street, there is violence.  Violence is viewed as a means of attaining anything one may desire as well as a resolution to most conflicts.  People in these areas learn to communicate with their fists or weapons better than they do with their words, which further oppresses and constrains an area, causing a vicious cycle which inhibits progress and improvement.
    The article analyzes 403 rap songs which were released between the years 1992 and 2000.  Unsurprisingly, a great deal of these songs advocate, portray, and glorify violent actions and ideas.  This generates further pressure to accept violence in areas governed by the code of the streets, and it has essentially granted social control to those who are most violent or feared.  This is a very primal principal, as many animals create societies with a leader who has intimidated all other prospective leaders.  A person’s role in society becomes based upon how violent they are, and how outward they tend to be with their violence.


Kubrin, Charis E.  Gangstas, Thugs, and Hustlas:  Identity and the Code of the Street in Rap Music.  Social Problems: Vol. 52, No. 3, University of California Press, 2005.