Crime and the Code

               Crime and deviance occur commonly in any society. In the article “The Code of the Street” by Elijah Anderson, there are several sociological explanations depicting the reason behind crime and deviance. Anderson incorporates these sociological theories in his discussion of inner-city life, emphasizing on how an individual is greatly influenced on the streets. Each of these explanations serves a different perspective in which crime and deviance are viewed as in the society.

               The idea of functionalist theory, which views crime and deviance resulting from the structural tensions and a lack of moral regulation within society, can be seen in the first section of the article. Anderson analyzed crime patterns around inner-city areas and he came up with an overview that “the inclination to violence springs from the circumstances of life among the ghetto poor—the lack of jobs that pay a living wage, the stigma of race, the fallout from rampant drug use and drug trafficking, and the resulting alienation and lack of hope for the future” (Anderson 171). It is a difficult task for the poor to cope with the economical crisis they face. Often, they are pressurized by their surroundings, forcing them to break the law in order to get what they want. Some children would even drop out of school and do illegal things to make ends meet.

               Anderson explains the difference between a “decent” family and a “street-oriented” family. This part of the article describe the labeling theory in which labeling can alter one’s self-image. These labeling names they use “amount to evaluative judgments that confer status on local residents (Anderson 173). In this case, the so-called “decent” families possess good manners and are law-abiding usually. On the other hand, “street-oriented” families tend to be the opposite of “decent” families. Their parents often care less about other people and show lack of support toward their children. They often do deviance acts compared to the “decent” family. Labeling often creates problems especially for the “street-oriented” family because of the bad perception that people have in mind. This will affect the way they regard themselves as. A worse situation than that is when an individual is considered to be a part of the “street-oriented” families and this individual accepts the label, his/her mindset tends to be similar with the street people.

               Another theory that shows up in Anderson’s article is learned deviance, a part of reinforcement theory. It means that we learn deviant behaviors from significant others that we spent most of the time with. Most of the street-oriented children are usually raised with little supervision from their parents. Their parents do not show themselves as good parents in front of their kids. These kids “often learn to fight at an early age, sometimes using short-tempered adults around them as role models” (Anderson 175). With that being said, children will imitate their parents’ actions and they will have the mentality to use physical aggressions to survive in this world. In addition, this gives them the freedom to “gravitate to the streets, where they “hang”—socialize with their peers. On the streets they play in groups that often become the source of their primary social bonds” (Anderson 175). These children on the streets usually show what they are capable of and their skills. They also test their skills with other children and sometimes they are prepared to hit other children over circumstances not to their liking. “Thus, the violent resolution of disputes, the hitting and cursing, gains social reinforcement” (Anderson 175).

               By the time they become teenagers, they pay much more attention about their looks and self-image. More and more teenagers tend to wear stylish clothes and fancy jewelries to gain credibility and respect. However, there are always other teenagers who want to increase their juice—another word for respect—by doing whatever they can, including violence. “One way of campaigning for status is by taking the possessions of others. Possession of the trophy can symbolize the ability to enhance one’s own worth by stealing someone else’s” (Anderson 177). This causes people to be more egotistical and self-centered. They do not really care if they have to commit crimes in order to be ranked higher than the others. The imbalance between the impulses of their desires exceeds the limitations that deter crime. This example given by Anderson describes the control theory.

               Overall, there are two most prominent theories that show up in “The Code of the street”. These two are the labeling theory and the reinforcement theory. They provide insights and analysis about the deviance acts that people perceive as in the society. As for the best theory that best explains crime is the functionalist theory. It really shows the cause-and-effect relationship of the financial condition of the poor in the inner city and therefore, forces them to commit crimes because that is their last resort.