In this compelling ethnographic study, Angela Taylor delivers an inside view of how drug dealers settle disputes—yielding rich insight into situational theories of violence and the nature of the drug trade.

Taylor draws on firsthand accounts to address the following questions: What are the characteristics of drug-business disputes? How do such disputes move from initial confrontation to the final result? Do violent disputes differ in kind or degree from nonviolent ones? And, are situational factors (such as the presence of weapons or third parties and participants’ drug use) significant determinants of violent versus nonviolent outcomes? Her analysis reveals the unwritten rules of the illicit drug trade and suggests new directions for violence-prevention efforts.   

Angela P. Taylor is assistant professor of criminal justice at Fayetteville State University.