NCJ Number
208340
Journal
Criminology Volume: 42 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 911-940
Date Published
November 2004
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study explored the way in which gender influences criminal retaliation.
Abstract
Recent criminological research has focused on the role of retaliation in shaping criminal violence within America’s inner cities. The bulk of this research has focused on males and has failed to address the way in which gender may condition retaliatory violence in real-life settings and circumstances. The current study drew on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 40 African-American men and 12 African-American women who were recently involved in retaliatory violence to explore the way in which gender influences vengeance. Participants were recruited from the streets of St. Louis, MO during late 2001 through early 2002 through the use of snowball sampling. Narrative analysis of the interview data revealed that retaliatory violence is gendered, with males viewing violent retaliation as necessary to maintaining survival on the street. Gendered perceptions of appropriate and inappropriate behavior suggests that engaging in violent retaliation is deeply rooted in males’ identities. Females engaged in violence less frequently, with less severity, and were more likely to seek nonviolent retaliation. The findings underscore the importance of the notion of street masculinity in the decisionmaking processes of the men. Future research should broaden the sample to include other ethnicities/races. References