The Street Casino : Survival in Violent Street Gangs

Gang violence is on the increase in certain neighbourhoods. There is an urgent need for a fresh perspective that offers insight into gang structure, organisation and offending behaviour to explain this increase. Using the findings from an extensive ethnographic study of local residents, professionals and gang members in south London, and drawing on his vast experience and knowledge of the field, Simon Harding proposes a unique theoretical perspective on survival in violent street gangs. He applies Bourdieu’s principles of social field analysis and habitus to gangs, establishing them as a social arena of competition where actors struggle for distinction and survival, striving to become ‘players in the game’ in the ‘casino of life’. Success is determined by accruing and retaining playing chips – street capital. Harding’s dramatic and compelling insights depict gang life as one of constant flux, where players jostle for position, reputation, status and distinction. This perspective offers new evidence to the field that will help academics, students, practitioners and policy makers to understand the dynamics of gang behaviour and the associated risks of violence and offending. Simon Harding is currently a senior lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University, UK. He draws on 25 years of experience in research, public policy and project delivery as a crime reduction and community safety practitioner. THE STREET CASINO Contents List of tables, figures and boxes Tables Figures Boxes Glossary Theoretical explanatory terms Gang terms About the author Acknowledgements Preface: living and working in the social field 1. Introduction Searching for answers Adopting a fresh approach: field analysis Street capital and the street casino Conducting the study Researching the social field Anonymity and terminology Chapter outlines 2. Academic gangland UK gang research Contemporary UK developments Joining a gang Gang organisation Gang characteristics and boundaries Gang behaviours and offending Respect and reputation Becoming a competent actor in the gang An emergent research agenda? 3. The game, the stakes, the players: key concepts Field theory The habitus The settlement and the players Actors’ field position The game Critique of Bourdieu The social field of the gang Gang periphery Social capital Street capital 4. House rules, game rules and game strategies Neighbourhood rules The influence of the habitus Street code Developing game strategies and the gang repertoire Strategic action using the gang repertoire 5. Players, positioning and keeping order The structure of the social field Reconstruction of social order Using social skill to maintain social order New players, new rules and side bets 6. Playing the game: generating and keeping your chips Playing ‘the game’ Getting started in the game: earning respect Establishing a reputation as a ‘playa’ 7. Staying in the game – and playing to win Maintaining your street capital: ‘being tested’ Transitioning from the expressive to the instrumental repertoire Business take-overs Playing to win: maximising street capital through reputation 8. The game in action: habitus, street capital and territory The game in action: playing on my turf 9. Learning the risks of the game: life in the landscape of risk Learning the rules of the game Early recognition of the social field Getting involved in the gang Factors influencing gang affiliation Risk mitigation 10 Surviving in the game Maintaining awareness of field position Hyper-vigilance Threat assessment Buying protection Living ‘off the hood’ Multiple membership Switching allegiance Temporary allegiance and confederation Visual presence, visual impact and physicality Code switching Developing dual personas Risks associated with territory Risks at the boundary of the social field Ethnicity 11. Creating the house advantage: the role of information Community engagement How is information used? The network Strategic action using information The challenges of trading information Social networking sites 12. Playing the queen: gender in the gang Traditional gang research perspectives on girls and young women Social field analysis 13. The wheel of fortune: the sanctions repertoire Affirmative sanctions Negative sanctions 14. The street casino What is new here? Survival in the street casino Beyond theory to a practical legacy Policy implications The street casino Not winners, but losers References Appendix A. SW9 postcode Appendix B. Lambeth key crime types Appendix C. The Duluth Power and Control Wheel Appendix D. Example of gang evolution and fracturing: organised crime Appendix E. Approximate gang locations in SW9 (July 2011) Appendix F. Timeline of known gangs in SW9 Index "Simon Harding proposes a unique theoretical perspective on survival in violent street gangs which offers new evidence on gang behaviour, dynamics, affiliation and risks in inner city areas."--Provided by publisher Simon Harding proposes an unique theoretical perspective on survival in violent street gangs which offers new evidence on gang behaviour, dynamics, affiliation and risks in inner city areas-- Publisher