How drug dealers settle disputes : violent and nonviolent outcomes / by Angela P. Taylor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taylor, Angela Patrice, 1964-

Series:

Qualitative studies in crime and justice ; v. 1.

Qualitative studies in crime and justice ; v. 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Drug dealers--New York (State)--New York--Case studies.

Drug dealers.

Interpersonal conflict--Case studies.

Interpersonal conflict.

Drug traffic--New York (State)--New York.

Drug traffic.

Drug abuse and crime--New York (State)--New York.

Drug abuse and crime.

Violent crimes--New York (State)--New York.

Violent crimes.

New York (State)--New York.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xvi, 234 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Monsey, N.Y. : Criminal Justice Press, [2007]

Summary:

Publisher description: Dr. Angela Taylor's ethnographic study is the first to center on nonviolent outcomes in drug disputes and one of the few to highlight assaults (as opposed to homicides) in drug-selling violence. The research is based on extensive interviews with 25 street-level drug sellers in New York City. Dr. Taylor found that conflicts over money owed to dealers and the theft of their drug supplies were more likely to produce violent outcomes than disputes involving personal insults. Interestingly, conflicts over drug-selling territories--a notorious source of violence--were equally likely to be resolved nonviolently as violently. The availability of weapons during disputes and the presence of unequal numbers of partisans of the principals were associated with violent outcomes. Other factors militating against resorting to violence included mutual personal respect among the opposing parties and the high solvability quotient of the dispute. Extensive excerpts from Dr. Taylor's interviews with the drug sellers yield rich insights into the thoughts, emotions and world-views of her subjects. The study also expands and strengthens situational theories of violence.

Contents:

Foreword: Introduction to Qualitative Studies in Crime and Justice / Mercer L. Sullivan xiii

Situational Perspectives on Violence 3

Brief Review of Past Literature 3

Gaps in Situational Research 6

Past Research on Nonviolent Dispute Outcomes 7

Furthering the Study of Nonviolent Outcomes 12

Drug Selling and Violence 14

Review of Past Research 14

Applying a Situational Perspective to Drug-Business Disputes 18

A Two-Pronged Approach to the Study of Dispute Situations 20

The Offender's Perspective: A Key Data Source 21

The Importance of Offender Accounts for This Study 24

Chapter 2 Methods 27

Data Acquisition 27

Data Analysis 31

Defining the Event 31

Defining Violence and Nonviolence 32

Quantitative Analysis 34

Qualitative Analyses 34

Sequence Analysis 35

Validity and Generalizability 35

Validity of Description 36

Validity of Interpretation 37

Validity of Theory 37

Generalizability: Internal and External 37

Chapter 3 Drug Dealers - Social and Criminal Contexts 41

Social Characteristics 41

Nondrug-Related Criminal History 43

Drug-Selling History 45

In-Depth Exploration of Drug-Selling Activity 46

Drugs, Salary, and Setting 46

Organizational Role 47

Freelance Drug Selling 47

Drug Selling as Part of an Organization 50

Self-Protection During Drug-Business Activity 51

Chapter 4 Drug Dealer Conflicts 55

Situational Features of Drug-Business Disputes 55

Sources of Drug-Business Conflict 56

Territory 57

Debt 57

Theft and Deceit 57

Insult 58

Other 58

Weapons in Drug-Business Disputes 59

Weapon Presence and Type 59

Why Having a Weapon Is Not Enough 63

Weapon Use and Injury 73

The Complex Role of Weapons 74

Third Parties and Drug-Business Disputes 74

Partisan Third Parties - Varied Roles 75

Nonpartisan Third Parties - Mostly Watching 84

Assessing Third-Party Influence - Why Partisanship Matters 88

Substance Use in Drug-Business Disputes 89

Presence and Type of Substance Use - The Importance of Alcohol 89

Perceived Intoxication Is Key 91

Respondent Perceptions of Substance Use-Conflict Links 94

Substance Use by the Main Opponent 99

Substances and Violence - More than Just Use 100

Chapter 5 Variations In Dispute Outcomes - The Role of Seriousness 105

Seriousness and the Nature of the Dispute 106

Theft and Deceit - No Good Excuse 106

Debt - Effort, or Lack Thereof, Counts 115

Territory - Leave and No One Gets Hurt 123

Insult - Bad Intent Transformed 130

Other Reasons for Disputes 134

Customer Hassles 135

Employee Disputes 136

Other Violent Disputes 137

Chapter 6 Event Process in Drug-Business Disputes - Mutual Respect and Solvability 141

Mutual Respect to Nonviolence 141

Friendship as a Cushion 142

Positive Interactions Breed Deference 154

Disrespect to Violence 157

Solvability 161

Chapter 7 Perceptions of Risk in Drug-Business Dispute Outcomes 165

Perceived Risk and Decision-Making in Nonviolent Conflicts 166

Injury to Self and Others 166

Retaliation 168

Going to Jail 169

Business 171

Perceived Risk and Decision-Making in Violent Conflicts 172

General Nonconcern 172

Trying Not to Lose 173

Eliciting Help From Others 175

Weapons 176

Thinking of Others 178

Going Too Far = Jail 181

Retaliation in Drug-Business Disputes 182

Forms of Retaliation - Mild and Severe 183

Why No Cycles of Retaliation? 190

Chapter 8 A Sequence Analysis of Drug-Business Dispute Conflicts 195

Sequencing Analysis in Detail 195

Nonviolent and Violent Dispute Sequences - One Main Difference 200

Compliance and Resolution in Drug-Business Disputes - Why Context Matters 203

Making Room for Compliance 203

Resolution Efforts - First Intentions Count 206

Brief Review of Findings 213

Contributions to Situational Theories of Violence 214

Why Dispute Content Matters 214

Reaffirmation of Past Research 216

Contributions to Research on Drug Selling and Violence 217

Alternative Explanations 218

Study Limitations 220

Future Research and Policy Implications 220.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-229) and index.

ISBN:

1881798763

9781881798767

OCLC:

182563702