Street Codes as Formula Stories: How Inmates Recount Violence

Abstract

Recent developments in the study of narratives suggest that people can construct identity by referencing acculturated stories (i.e., formula stories) and often do so when explaining untoward behavior. Formula stories connect one’s personal identity with generally accepted subcultural identities and the narratives associated with them. In light of this, it becomes clear that cultural codes (e.g., the code of the streets) provide structured storylines. Using data from semistructured interviews with 118 violent inmates incarcerated in the United Kingdom, this study examines how they use the code of the street when describing specific violent events. The authors find that violent inmates portray themselves as respectable by situating their past violence within the prescripts of the code; however, the inmates’ narratives are not always consistent or drawn from singular formula stories. In fact, many participants offered various storylines and interpretations when describing violent events. We conclude that future theoretical development should aim to integrate perspectives focused on street codes, individual identity, and other acculturated factors and that understanding codes as narrative forms is essential.

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

“…Jacobs (2004), for example, interviewed street offenders and found that they used threats and violence to convey a reputation of toughness that requires respect and that, if challenged, would result in violent retaliation. A similar finding holds in other studies, including Baron, Kennedy, and Forde's (2001) study of homeless youth and Rich and Grey's (2005) interviews with young Black male victims (see, generally, Courtwright, 1996; see also Brezina et al, 2004;Brookman et al, 2011;Jacobs and Wright, 2006;Stewart, Schreck, and Simons, 2006). Most extant work, however, has involved qualitative accounts that have not empirically linked prior beliefs to subsequent behavior or, of particular importance for this study, examined the potential effect of the street code on inmate violence.…”

“…A central question that relates to the code of the street is the extent to which adherence to the code is stable or variable over time (Anderson, 1999) and whether particular experiences, such as incarceration, that may occur in prison settings reinforce it. Brookman, Copes, and Hochstetler (2011) showed how inmates may use a street code type of philosophy to make sense of and defend their crimes and, more generally, to create an identity for themselves. A prison setting thus may cement adherence to the street code.…”

“…Notably, however, the possibility that an imported street code belief system may contribute to inmate violence remains to be investigated. To our knowledge, the sole exception is Brookman, Copes, and Hochstetler's (2011) qualitative study of 118 violent inmates in the United Kingdom; they found that the inmates used narratives that drew on beliefs consistent with the code of the street to make sense of and to justify the behaviors that led to their incarceration. However, inmates did so in ways that suggested an ad hoc use of the street code, wherein they "adhere to images from a code as part of a 'line' or front that they provide to researchers" (p. 418).…”

The creative use of the ADHD diagnosis in probationers' self-narratives

“…As Brookman, Copes, and Hochstetler (2011) put it, the study of self and identity 'provides valuable insights into the links between structural conditions, cultural influences and individual behaviour' (p. 398).…”

Narratives of illness and offending: mentally disordered offenders’ views on their offending

“…In addition, offenders may seek to portray offences as excusable through referring to sub‐cultural codes (Brookman et al . ) or through comparing themselves favourably to other offenders (Hochstetler et al . 2009).…”