Cracking the Code? Schools, Neighborhoods, Peers, Individual Propensity, and the Conditioning Effect of Race and Gender on Code of the Street Adherence

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of literature concerning the development of code of the street values. However, several factors theorized to inform street code adherence have escaped examination. Prior research has left unclear the role of danger, victimization, and the conditioning effect of race and gender on street code adherence. Utilizing multiple waves of the G.R.E.A.T. data we use OLS regression analysis to assess the separate and combined effects of multiple factors related to code of the street adherence. We focus on theoretically informed variables of danger and victimization in schools and neighborhoods, peer delinquency, and low self-control. We also split analysis to assess the conditional effect of race and gender on street code adherence. Results indicated the influence of peer and individual propensity is more important for understanding street code adherence than are schools and neighborhoods. However, race and gender specific analyses point toward nuance in understanding the development of street code adherence. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.