Belief in the Code of the Street and Individual Involvement in Offending: A Meta-Analysis

Anderson’s Code of the Street thesis suggests that stronger belief in, and adherence to, subcultural “street code” norms increases the risk of criminal and aggressive behaviors, particularly among adolescents and young adults in urban communities. This study uses a meta-analysis to assess the overall relationship between individual belief in the street code and risk of offending. Effect sizes (n = 38) from 20 unique studies produced a weighted correlation (r) of .11, indicating a belief in the street code had a positive association with offending across all studies. The effect is strongest for violent offending (.13) and among samples comprised of adolescents (.14), as predicted by Anderson’s theory. Even after accounting for competing theoretical and established correlates of offending, modest effects of street code beliefs on offending remained. These findings indicate that overall, the street code is a more general theory than Anderson originally predicted. Directions for future research on the code are discussed.