Continuity of the “code”: A review of the subcultures and informal social norms in prisons, streets, and schools

Abstract

AbstractOver the last several decades, sociologists and criminologists have documented the presence of a subculture in prison and street settings. Recent scholarship has shed light on how failed safety measures and key institutional deprivations also contribute to the manifestation of a subculture in urban and suburban public schools. Within each setting, researchers have illuminated how a set of informal social norms, formally known as a “code,” govern interpersonal communication and regulate violence. Considering the prevalence of violence in prison, street, and school settings, it is important to understand how the code operates, the social conditions that influence individual and group adherence, and whether the code in prison, street, and school settings reinforce one another. This review seeks to explore the inner workings of the inmate, street, and school codes, shed light on their utility in each respective setting, and reveal how the carceral state extends throughout each of the respective codes.