Code of the Street and Inmate Violence: Investigating the Salience of Imported Belief Systems

• NCJ Number: 245318
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2013 Pages: 695-728
• Author(s): Daniel P. Mears; Eric A. Stewart; Sonja E. Siennick; Ronald L. Simons
• Date Published: August 2013
• Length: 34 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH48165; MH62669; 029136– 02
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health; Ctr's for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical); Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Scholars have long argued that inmate behaviors stem in part from cultural belief systems that they "import" with them into incarcerative settings. Even so, few empirical assessments have tested this argument directly.

Abstract

Drawing on theoretical accounts of one such set of beliefsthe code of the streetand on importation theory, the authors hypothesize that individuals who adhere more strongly to the street code will be more likely, once incarcerated, to engage in violent behavior and that this effect will be amplified by such incarceration experiences as disciplinary sanctions and gang involvement, as well as the lack of educational programming, religious programming, and family support. The authors tested these hypotheses using unique data that included measures of the street code belief system and incarceration experiences. The results support the argument that the code of the street belief system affects inmate violence and that the effect is more pronounced among inmates who lack family support, experience disciplinary sanctions, and are gang involved. Implications of these findings are discussed. (Published Abstract)