Logo image
Street Culture and Crime
Book chapter

Street Culture and Crime

Eric A Stewart and Mark T Berg
The Oxford Handbook of Criminological Theory, pp.370-388
Oxford Handbooks, Oxford University Press
11/23/2012
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199747238.013.0019

View Online

Abstract

Many studies on criminology emphasize the role of cultural mechanisms—the symbolic, relational aspect of social organization—in the uneven representation of crime in society. While dimensions of social structure are also important in this literature, it differs from other criminological research because of the explanatory power granted to culture to account for the origin and scope of socially disapproved behaviors. Cultural explanations still permeate research on criminal behavior in the urban metropolis, but recent questions about the etiology of violence within this environment appear to have revived the cultural perspective, raising the possibility that behavior is shaped by culture. This article reviews criminological research that ascribes criminal behavior to the interaction between individuals and street culture. It examines the propositions derived from urban sociology and recent cognitive-based accounts, focusing on the theoretical and empirical research involving serious crime, particularly violent behavior among individuals living in urban areas.
Social Structure Sociology Violence criminal behavior criminology and criminal justice serious crime street culture theories of crime urban areas

Details

Metrics

22 Record Views
Logo image