The social organization of methamphetamine manufacturing: Roles, identities and persistence

Abstract

PurposeWe discuss small batch methamphetamine (i.e., shake meth) cooking as a form of systematic offending using a social organization framework. MethodSemi-structured interviews with 33 people who cooked meth and who were living in faith-based transitional facilities in Alabama. This is coupled with data from an 18-month long ethnography of people who used methamphetamine in rural Alabama that consisted of semi-structured interviews with 52 people and observations and conversations. ResultsInternal and external social organization are dependent on the daily concerns of those who use meth, the social context of their lives, and production imperatives. Small batch meth production is a professional crime; it takes some skill, a network, and organizing capacity. It is influenced by the pharmacological properties and symptoms of meth abuse including being cut off from conventional attachments. ConclusionsA defined social organization provides people with roles, expectations, and aspirations. Positions have routines and meanings that embed participants in criminal or drug cultures and contribute to their persistence in crime.