Book Review: Schmidt, L. M., & O’Reilly, J. T. (2007). Gangs and Law Enforcement: A Guide for Dealing With Gang-Related Violence. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. v, 196 pp

• Published date: 01 December 2009
• Author: Cliff Akiyama
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016809331676
• Date: 01 December 2009
• Subject Matter: Articles

In the final chapter, Presser reflects critically on (a) her role in the interviews, including how she

shaped the men’s narratives, even without intending to do so; and (b) the limits of criminological

theories that ignore the ongoing construction of selves through interaction and in relation to partic-

ular social contexts. Presser’s awareness of their awareness made her reflexive about how they

viewed her and how they constructed their identities in the interviews. As noted, her aim was not

to explain men’s use of violence but rather to explore how men who have been violent craft a viable

self. What narratives do they tell? What sort of self do they offer/express, in interaction, including in

her interviews? While she is interested in their accounts (Scott and Lyman) as justifications for their

criminal behavior, she is primarily interested in them as expressions of a particular kind of self.As

violent men, her interviewees have a ‘‘spoiled’’ or stigmatized self from having been labeled as

offenders. Her interviews gave the men a chance to redeem themselves, to present an identity that

was good, worthy, even heroic. For the most part, the men took advantage of the situation. This

observation prompts Presser to suggest that scholars need to pay more attention to the interview

process per se, including how informants construct identity narratives on the spot.

Who can benefit from this book? Anyone interested in narratives, identity construction, social

interaction, masculinity, violence, social theory, and/or sociological methods. Anyone interested

in how narratives are used in the service of creating a self in/through interaction should pay particular

attention. The book’s explication of symbolic interaction theory and the social construction of iden-

tity through interaction is excellent. This book will be useful for instructors in courses on social inter-

action, identity, violence, narrative analysis, gender/masculinity, criminological/sociological theory,

and research methods, particularly but not only qualitative. Been a Heavy Life offers a rare peek into

a social scientist’s skillful use of qualitative data to inductively discover/uncover the oft-hidden and

taken-for-granted dynamics associated with constructing a self. Lois Presser’s provocative and

insightful study can serve as both exemplar and a call to action for those interested in such issues.

Patricia Yancey Martin

Florida State University

Reference

Scott, Marvin B. and Stanford M. Lyman. 1968. ‘‘Accounts.’’ American Sociological Review,33: 46-62.

Schmidt, L. M., & O’Reilly, J. T. (2007). Gangs and Law Enforcement:

A Guide for Dealing With Gang-Related Violence.

Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. v, 196 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016809331676

Throughout the country in urban, suburban, and rural communities, law enforcement is being

challenged by intramural shootings between rival gang members on a daily basis. As first-hand wit-

nesses of youth gang violence, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies represent a highly

skilled community resource in the modern multiagency approach to help combat this new form of

domestic terrorism. Youth gang violence has continued its upward trend nationwide, increasing over

15% according to the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Furthermore, youth gangs have been identified in every single state, meaning that youth gangs are no

486 International Criminal Justice Review