Cited by 436Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisCriminal Justice and PenologyPolicing Practices and Perceptions

On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

Goffman, Alice·2009·American Sociological Review

Abstract

Although recent increases in imprisonment are concentrated in poor Black communities, we know little about how daily life within these neighborhoods is affected. Almost all ethnographic work in poor minority neighborhoods was written before the expansion of the criminal justice system, and the bulk of research on “mass imprisonment” relies on survey data, field experiments, or interviews, conceptualizing its impact in terms of current or former felons and their families. Drawing on six years of fieldwork in Philadelphia, this article shifts the focus from imprisonment and criminal records to the increase in policing and supervision in poor Black neighborhoods, and what this has meant for a growing status group of wanted people. For many young men, avoiding jail has become a daily preoccupation: they have warrants out for minor infractions, like failing to pay court fees or breaking curfew, and will be detained if they are identified. Such threat of imprisonment transforms social relations by undermining already tenuous attachments to family, work, and community. But young men also rely on their precarious legal standing to explain failures that would have occurred anyway, while girlfriends and neighbors exploit their wanted status as an instrument of social control. I discuss the implications of my ethnographic observations relative to prior treatments of the poor and policing, and with regard to broader sociological questions about punishment and surveillance in the modern era.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Drawing on six years of fieldwork in a poor Black Philadelphia neighborhood, Goffman shows how policing and supervision create a growing status group of “wanted” young men whose daily fear of capture reshapes family, work, and community life. She argues this is not Foucault’s panoptic discipline but an incomplete checkpoint/flashpoint system that produces suspects and fugitives, while wanted status also becomes an excuse and a resource others use for control.

Key findings

  • In a 2007 survey of 217 households on “6th Street,” the authors found 308 men aged 18–30; 144 reported a warrant in the past three years for court fines/fees or failure to appear, and 119 had warrants for technical probation/parole violations such as drinking or breaking curfew.
  • During the first 18 months, Goffman observed police stop/search/arrest at least once a day with only five exceptions; she also recorded 52 house raids/searches/chases, 9 helicopter searches, 17 crime-scene blockades, and 14 beatings of young men.
  • Wanted status turned hospitals, jobs, police/courts, and intimate ties into paths to confinement: men skipped the birth of a child, refused medical care after a severe beating, avoided calling police when robbed, and sometimes resorted to violence instead.
  • Wanted status also served as a resource: girlfriends, relatives, and neighbors threatened to call police or parole officers to control men, and men used warrants to account for failures—e.g., Mike missed Parents’ Day partly because he had not paid school fees, and Steve cited his warrant for unemployment despite not finding work when not wanted.

Methods

  • Six years of ethnographic fieldwork (intensive observation January 2002–August 2003, continuing through 2007) in a poor to working-class Black Philadelphia neighborhood called “6th Street,” centered on a loose group of about 15 young men; Goffman also visited jails and prisons and interviewed two lawyers, a district attorney, three probation officers, two police officers, and a federal district court judge.
  • In 2007, Goffman and a resident conducted a survey of 217 households in the 6th Street neighborhood, counting men aged 18–30 and asking about warrants in the past three years.
  • Data come mainly from field notes and overheard conversations; Goffman did not use a tape recorder, so quoted speech is a close approximation, and she generally did not ask direct questions.

Limitations

  • The paper states it cannot speculate about the net effect of low-level warrant policies on crime or violence; the data only suggest effects on legal status and institutional interaction.
  • The paper notes that because no tape recorder was used, even quoted speech should be taken only as a close approximation, and that most material comes from observations or overheard conversations rather than direct questions.
  • Evident from the text: the study is a single-neighborhood ethnography of a small, nonrandom group of men, with no comparison site or quantitative causal design, and the researcher’s presence and racial difference may have shaped access and interactions.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1177/000312240907400301

Cites

34 of 34 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

1 of 41 cited sources checked · 1 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Those on probation or parole, on house arrest, and who were going through a trial expressed concern that they would soon be picked up and taken into custody for some violation that would 'come up in the system.'

    “Those on probation or parole, on house arrest, and who were going through a trial expressed concern that they would soon be picked up and taken into custody for some violation that would 'come up in the system.'”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Out of the 139 weeks Mike was not incarcerated between 2002 and 2007, he spent 87 weeks on probation or parole for five overlapping sentences.

    “Out of the 139 weeks that he was not incarcerated, he spent 87 weeks on probation or parole for five overlapping sentences.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Even those with no pending legal action expressed concern that the police might 'find some reason to hold them' because of what they had done, who or what they knew, or what they carried on their person.

    “Even those with no pending legal action expressed concern that the police might 'find some reason to hold them' because of what they had done, who or what they knew, or what they carried on their person.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Young men worried that they would be picked up by the police and taken into custody even when they did not have a warrant out for their arrest.

    “Young men worried that they would be picked up by the police and taken into custody even when they did not have a warrant out for their arrest.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    During the first year and a half of fieldwork, I watched the police stop pedestrians or people in cars, search them, run their names to see if any warrants came up, ask them to come in for questioning, or make an arrest at least once a day, with five exceptions.

    “During the first year and a half of fieldwork, I watched the police stop pedestrians or people in cars, search them, run their names to see if any warrants came up, ask them to come in for questioning, or make an arrest at least once a day, with five exceptions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 37
  • May combine two claims. 50
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 5
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    One in four Black children born in 1990 had a father imprisoned.

    “One in four Black children born in 1990 had a father imprisoned (Wildeman 2009).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Wildeman 2009 source
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Between 2002 and 2007, Mike spent 35 weeks with a warrant out for his arrest and had 10 warrants issued on him.

    “He spent 35 weeks with a warrant out for his arrest, and in total had 10 warrants issued on him.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Findingnone given
    § FAMILY AND FRIENDS

    It is common practice for police to put pressure on friends, girlfriends, and family members to provide information, particularly when these people have their own warrants, are serving probation or parole, or have a pending trial.

    “It is common practice for the police to put pressure on friends, girlfriends, and family members to provide information, particularly when these people have their own warrants, are serving probation or parole, or have a pending trial.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingnone given
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Police use a sophisticated computer mapping program that tracks people who have warrants or are on probation, parole, or released on bail.

    “The police also use a sophisticated computer mapping program that tracks people who have warrants or are on probation, parole, or released on bail.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    Today, police helicopters can regularly be heard overhead and cameras monitor people on the streets in poor Black communities.

    “While the police were scarcely present in the ghetto decades ago, today, police helicopters can regularly be heard overhead, cameras now monitor people on the streets, and large numbers of young men-including many who have never been convicted of felonies-have pending cases in the criminal courts, are on probation, released on bail, issued low-level warrants, and are routinely chased, searched, qu”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data
    § HOSPITALS AND JOBS

    Alex was arrested at the hospital for a parole violation after the birth of his son.

    “I got there a few hours after the baby was born, in time to see two police officers come into the room and arrest Alex. He had violated his parole a few months before by drinking alcohol and had a warrant out for his arrest.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    Large numbers of young men in poor Black communities, including many never convicted of felonies, have pending cases in criminal courts, are on probation, released on bail, issued low-level warrants, and are routinely chased, searched, questioned, and arrested by police.

    “While the police were scarcely present in the ghetto decades ago, today, police helicopters can regularly be heard overhead, cameras now monitor people on the streets, and large numbers of young men-including many who have never been convicted of felonies-have pending cases in the criminal courts, are on probation, released on bail, issued low-level warrants, and are routinely chased, searched, qu”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingnone given
    § HOSPITALS AND JOBS

    Alex spent a year back upstate on the parole violation.

    “Alex spent a year back upstate on the parole violation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    When looking for a suspect, police access Social Security records, court records, hospital admission records, electric and gas bills, and employment records.

    “In an interview, two police officers explained that when they are looking for a suspect, they access Social Security records, court records, hospital admission records, electric and gas bills, and employment records.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Chuck was granted visitation after the judge ruled in his favor in the custody case.

    “The judge ruled in Chuck' s favor, and he was granted visitation on Sundays at a court-supervised daycare site.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Mike had at least 51 court appearances over the five-year period 2002-2007, 47 of which the author attended.

    “Mike had at least 51 court appearances over this five-year period, 47 of which I attended.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data
    § HOSPITALS AND JOBS

    Chuck was arrested at McDonald's when police shut down the restaurant to question witnesses about a fight.

    “When the fight began, Chuck was in the storeroom talking on the phone with his girlfriend. He came out, he said, and saw six police officers staring at him. At this point he called and asked me to come and pick up his house keys, fairly certain he would be taken into custody. When I got there he was driving away in the back of the police car.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    During the first year and a half on 6th Street, the author noted 24 instances in which members of the group contacted the police when they were injured, robbed, or threatened; these men were either in good standing with the courts or had no pending legal constraints.

    “During the first year and a half I spent on 6th Street, I noted 24 instances in which members of the group contacted the police when they were injured, robbed, or threatened. These men were either in good standing with the courts or had no pending legal constraints.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    In the 6th Street neighborhood, a person was occasionally 'on the run' because he was a suspect in a shooting or robbery, but most people around 6th Street had warrants out for far more minor infractions.

    “In the 6th Street neighborhood, a person was occasionally 'on the run' because he was a suspect in a shooting or robbery, but most people around 6th Street had warrants out for far more minor infractions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given
    § ON BEING WANTED

    By 2002, curfews were established around 6th Street for those under age 18 and video cameras had been placed on major streets.

    “By 2002, curfews were established around 6th Street for those under age 18 and video cameras had been placed on major streets.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingnone given
    § FIELDWORK, THE 6TH STREET BOYS, AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT

    Six years later, Mike was the only one of the 15 young men to have graduated from high school.

    “Six years later, Mike was the only one to have graduated from high school.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data
    § HOSPITALS AND JOBS

    Mike was arrested by two parole officers at the Taco Bell where he worked after violating curfew.

    “T wo parole officers arrested him the next day as he was leaving the Taco Bell. He spent a year back upstate for this violation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingnone given
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Between 2002 and 2007, Mike spent about three and a half years in jail or prison.

    “Between 2002 and 2007, Mike spent about three and a half years in jail or prison.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Police, jail, and court language permeates general conversation among young men in the 6th Street group.

    “Police, jail, and court language permeates general conversation.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S1 (asserted), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.

    Findingown data
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Mike called the police after being robbed, and later believed his arrest at his mother's house resulted from the address he gave in that report.

    “He mentioned that he thought their knowledge of his new address must have come from the time he reported the robbery.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data
    § FIELDWORK, THE 6TH STREET BOYS, AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT

    The five blocks known as 6th Street are 93 percent Black, according to a survey of residents that Chuck and I conducted in 2007.

    “The five blocks known as 6th Street are 93 percent Black, according to a survey of residents that Chuck and I conducted in 2007.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given
    § BEING WANTED AS A MEANS OF ACCOUNTING

    Police officers did go to a man's place of work to arrest him, and some of the men experienced this first-hand.

    “Having a warrant may not be the reason why Steve, for example, did not look for work, but it was a fact that police officers did go to a man' s place of work to arrest him, and that some of the men experienced this first-hand.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § DISCUSSION

    Family members living with a relative or boyfriend with a warrant out for his arrest are caught between three difficult lines of action: allowing him to stay in their homes and placing their own safety and security in jeopardy, casting him out, or betraying him by turning him in to the police.

    “Specifically, I found that family members living with a relative or boyfriend with a warrant out for his arrest are caught between three difficult lines of action: allowing him to stay in their homes and placing their own safety and security in jeopardy, casting him out, or betraying him by turning him in to the police.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    A young man does not attend the birth of his child, nor seek medical help when he is badly beaten.

    “A young man thus does not attend the birth of his child, nor seek medical help when he is badly beaten.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § FAMILY AND FRIENDS

    Reggie was arrested for attempted murder after Michelle's aunt called police, but the case was dropped after Michelle and her aunt did not show up at three consecutive court dates.

    “She told them that Reggie had shot at her niece, and the police put out a body warrant for his arrest for attempted murder.”
    • Also stated in: § FAMILY AND FRIENDS · plain
      “Michelle and her aunt did not show up at three consecutive court dates, and after six months the case for attempted murder was dropped and Reggie came home.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Chuck shot at a man he believed firebombed his car, and police issued a body warrant for his arrest for attempted murder.

    “A few days later, Chuck drove over to 8th Street with Mike and Steve and shot at the young man whom he believed was responsible for blowing up his car. Although no one was injured, a neighbor reported the incident and the police put out a body warrant for Chuck' s arrest for attempted murder.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    Girlfriends, neighbors, and family members threaten to call the police on young men to 'keep them in line,' and occasionally they call the police or get a man arrested as payback for some perceived wrong.

    “Girlfriends, neighbors, and family members threaten to call the police on young men to 'keep them in line,' and occasionally they call the police or get a man arrested as payback for some perceived wrong.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Residents of the neighborhood studied do not find that their movements are tightly controlled and regimented, as they would be in a prison or convent; they do not eat, sleep, and live together under the watchful gaze of one central authority, nor is their privacy and personal property permanently denied them.

    “Residents of the neighborhood I studied do not find that their movements are tightly controlled and regimented, as they would be in a prison or convent; they do not eat, sleep, and live together under the watchful gaze of one central authority, nor is their privacy and personal property permanently denied them”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingown data
    § FAMILY AND FRIENDS

    Mike was arrested on a bench warrant after Marie called the police on him.

    “One afternoon when Mike was sitting on a neighbor's steps, a squad car pulled up and two police officers arrested him. He had a bench warrant out for missing a court date.”
    • Also stated in: § FAMILY AND FRIENDS · plain
      “Although Marie did call the cops and get Mike taken into custody that day, she was the first person to visit him in county jail after he got out of quarantine”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    In spaces like the 6th street neighborhood, many people break the law without the authorities knowing; many others are known to be in violation but the authorities do not have the resources or the ability to locate them all and bring them to justice.

    “In spaces like the 6th street neighborhood, however, many people break the law without the authorities knowing; many others are known to be in violation but the authorities do not have the resources or the ability (or, to be more cynical, the desire) to locate them all and bring them to justice.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    African American former felons face significant discrimination in the labor market, as well as health costs, obstacles to housing, and large-scale disenfranchisement.

    “African American former felons face significant discrimination in the labor market, as well as health costs, obstacles to housing, and large-scale disenfranchisement (Hammett, Harmon, and Rhodes 2002; Pager 2007; Rubenstein and Mukamal 2002; Uggen and Manza 2002; Western 2006).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Hammett, Harmon, and Rhodes 2002 source
    • cites Pager 2007 source
    • cites Western 2006

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given
    § ON BEING WANTED

    The possibility that some young men may be taken into custody if they encounter authorities is a background expectation of everyday interaction in this community.

    “The fact that some young men may be taken into custody if they encounter the authorities is a background expectation of everyday interaction in this community.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § THE URBAN POOR AND POLICING

    Foucault suggested that the modern era would increasingly be characterized by surveillance and that state monitoring of citizens would become increasingly complete.

    “Foucault (1979) suggested that the modern era would increasingly be characterized by surveillance and that state monitoring of citizens would become increasingly complete.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Foucault 1979

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § THE URBAN POOR AND POLICING

    The number of police officers per capita increased dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century in cities across the United States.

    “The number of police officers per capita increased dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century in cities across the United States (Reiss 1992).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Reiss 1992 source
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § FAMILY AND FRIENDS

    Family, friends, and romantic partners may pose a threat and thus have to be avoided or carefully navigated.

    “Like going to the hospital or using the police and the courts, even more intimate relationsfriends, family, and romantic partners-may pose a threat and thus have to be avoided or at least carefully navigated.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    The result is a complex interactive system in which ghetto residents become caught in constraining legal entanglements while simultaneously calling on the criminal justice system to achieve a measure of power over one another in their daily lives.

    “The result is a complex interactive system in which ghetto residents become caught in constraining legal entanglements while simultaneously calling on the criminal justice system to achieve a measure of power over one another in their daily lives.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Young men's hesitation to go to the police or to make use of the courts when they are wronged, because of concern they will be arrested, means they became the targets of theft and violence because it is assumed they will not press charges.

    “Y oung men' s hesitation to go to the police or to make use of the courts when they are wronged, because of concern they will be arrested, means they became the targets of theft and violence because it is assumed they will not press charges.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    Much of the research literature relies on statistical data, field experiments, or interviews and most often centers on the consequences of going to prison.

    “Indeed, much of the research literature, which relies on statistical data, field experiments, or interviews, most often centers on the consequences of going to prison.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Interpretationown data
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Using the police and the courts is risky for people with warrants.

    “Like going to work or to hospitals, using the police and the courts was risky.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § THE URBAN POOR AND POLICING

    Until recently, people who commit serious crimes, stand trial, go to jail, or find themselves on the run from the police comprised only a small group of criminals in a neighborhood; most residents of poor Black communities did not interact much with the authorities.

    “Until recently, these people comprised only a small group of criminals in a neighborhood: most residents of poor Black communities did not interact much with the authorities.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Anderson 1978

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Liebow 1967

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    The dealings these young men have with the police, the courts, and the probation and parole board grant them an illegal or semilegal status and instill an overriding fear of capture.

    “As the findings reveal, the dealings these young men have with the police, the courts, and the probation and parole board grant them an illegal or semilegal status and instill an overriding fear of capture.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § ON BEING WANTED

    Children learn at an early age to watch out for the police and to prepare to run.

    “Children learn at an early age to watch out for the police and to prepare to run.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § THE URBAN POOR AND POLICING

    In 2006, more than 14 million people were arrested and charged with a criminal offense in the United States, and more than five million people were under probation or parole supervision.

    “In 2006, more than 14 million people were arrested and charged with a criminal offense in the United States, and more than five million people were under probation or parole supervision (Glaze and Bonzcar 2006; U.S. Department of Justice 2007).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Glaze and Bonzcar 2006

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites U.S. Department of Justice 2007

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Premisenone given
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    Expansions in incarceration have been accompanied by increases in policing and supervision in poor communities.

    “Expansions in incarceration have been accompanied by increases in policing and supervision in poor communities.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § THE URBAN POOR AND POLICING

    The past few decades have seen the war on crime, the war on drugs, a blossoming of federal and state police agencies and bureaus, steeper sentencing laws, and a near unified endorsement of 'zero-tolerance' policies from police and civic leaders.

    “The past few decades have seen the war on crime, the war on drugs, a blossoming of federal and state police agencies and bureaus, steeper sentencing laws, and a near unified endorsement of 'zero-tolerance' policies from police and civic leaders (Beckett 1997; Simon 2007).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Beckett 1997

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Simon 2007 source
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § THE URBAN POOR AND POLICING

    The Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department supervised more than 60,000 people in 2006.

    “The Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department supervised more than 60,000 people in 2006.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department 2007

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisenone given
    § On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto

    Police were scarcely present in the ghetto decades ago.

    “While the police were scarcely present in the ghetto decades ago, today, police helicopters can regularly be heard overhead, cameras now monitor people on the streets, and large numbers of young men-including many who have never been convicted of felonies-have pending cases in the criminal courts, are on probation, released on bail, issued low-level warrants, and are routinely chased, searched, qu”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). The quote only partly states this claim.

    Interpretationown data
    § HOSPITALS AND JOBS

    Hospitals become dangerous for people with a warrant.

    “After Alex was arrested, other young men expressed hesitation to go to the hospital when their babies were born.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Some crimes can be understood as people taking matters into their own hands, punishing people whom they consider to have committed a crime, typically when police and courts are unavailable.

    “Black (1983) argues that some crimes can be understood as people taking matters into their own hands, that is, punishing people whom they consider to have committed a crime. This kind of self-help crime is typically carried out when the police and the courts are unavailable”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Black (1983) source
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    These occasional examinations are put to use not to dole out a range of small punishments and rewards in the interest of correction and training, but to identify people who may qualify for prison and to bring those people into the hands of the state.

    “These occasional examinations (the urine test during a probation meeting, the stop and frisk on a street corner, the raid of a house, or the running of a driver' s name in the police database to see if any warrants come up) are put to use not-as Foucault envisioned-to dole out a range of small punishments and rewards in the interest of correction and training, but to identify people who may”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    In Philadelphia, the courts can issue an arrest warrant if a person fails to pay fines for traffic violations or misses a court date in regard to these violations.

    “In Philadelphia, the courts can issue an arrest warrant if a person fails to pay fines for traffic violations or misses a court date in regard to these violations.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Philadelphia County, 33 Pa.B. Doc. No. 2745 and Pa.B. Doc. No. 03-1110

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Residents of the modern ghetto may find some common experience with other semilegal or illegal people who qualify for some sanction and are trying to avoid it.

    “It is with these groups that residents of the modern ghetto may find some common experience.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Surveillance and supervision in the ghetto are incomplete not only because people are widely able to break the rules and to evade the authorities, but also because the forms of supervision do not strive to be all-encompassing in the first place.

    “Surveillance and supervision in the ghetto are incomplete not only because people are widely able to break the rules and to evade the authorities, but also because the forms of supervision do not strive to be all-encompassing in the first place.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    He avoids the police and the courts, even if it means using violence when he is injured or becoming the target of others who are looking for someone to rob.

    “He avoids the police and the courts, even if it means using violence when he is injured or becoming the target of others who are looking for someone to rob.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    A person can be imprisoned for failing to pay moving violation fines in Philadelphia.

    “A person can also be imprisoned for failing to pay moving violation fines (Philadelphia County, 33 Pa.B. Doc. No. 2745 and Pa.B. Doc. No. 03-1110).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Philadelphia County, 33 Pa.B. Doc. No. 2745 and Pa.B. Doc. No. 03-1110

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given
    § DISCUSSION

    If a man exhausts these possibilities and gets taken into custody, he may try to avoid jail time by informing on the people he knows.

    “If a man exhausts these possibilities and gets taken into custody, he may try to avoid jail time by informing on the people he knows.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Instead of thinking of residents of the modern ghetto as inmates of prisons or other panoptic places, we might compare ghetto residents to other semilegal or illegal people who qualify for some sanction and who are trying to avoid it.

    “Instead of thinking of residents of the modern ghetto as inmates of prisons or other panoptic places, we might compare ghetto residents to other semilegal or illegal people who qualify for some sanction and who are trying to avoid it: undocumented immigrants who are at risk of being deported, Jews living in Nazi Germany who may be sent to concentration camps, draftdodgers or deserters from the”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    As long as a man is at risk of confinement, staying out of prison and participating in institutions like family, work, and friendship become contradictory goals; doing one reduces his chance of achieving the other.

    “Whatever the strategy, a man finds that as long as he is at risk of confinement, staying out of prison and participating in institutions like family, work, and friendship become contradictory goals; doing one reduces his chance of achieving the other.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § DISCUSSION

    The findings presented here confirm these important theses, but fieldwork also suggests that those so managed are hardly hapless victims, immobilized in webs of control.

    “The findings presented here confirm these important theses, but my fieldwork also suggests that those so managed are hardly hapless victims, immobilized in webs of control.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationreasoning
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Declining to engage authorities when there may be concrete reasons for doing so should be considered in the context of labeling theory and secondary deviance.

    “Declining to engage authorities when there may be concrete reasons for doing so should be considered in this context.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § DISCUSSION

    Contemporary theories of social stratification and political sociology argue that the criminal justice system has become a vehicle for passing on disadvantage and an instrument for the management of dispossessed and dishonored groups.

    “Contemporary theories of social stratification and political sociology argue that the criminal justice system has become a vehicle for passing on disadvantage (Western 2006) and 'an instrument for the management of dispossessed and dishonored groups' (Wacquant 2001:95).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Western 2006

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Wacquant 2001 source
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    The police and the courts become dangerous to interact with, as does showing up to work or going to places like hospitals.

    “The police and the courts become dangerous to interact with, as does showing up to work or going to places like hospitals.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationnone given
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    The policing of the modern ghetto may be usefully juxtaposed to Foucault's theory of power in Discipline and Punish.

    “Indeed, the policing of the modern ghetto may be usefully juxtaposed to the influential theory of power Foucault outlines in Discipline and Punish (for discussions of Foucault' s dominant position in the sociology of punishment see Cohen 1985; Garland 1990).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Cohen 1985

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Garland 1990 source
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    In the 6th street neighborhood, one indeed finds monitoring and supervision, but this monitoring does not put an end to fear; the lives of residents are organized precisely around fear of being sent to jail.

    “In the 6th street neighborhood, one indeed finds monitoring and supervision, but this monitoring does not put an end to fear. In fact, the lives of residents are organized precisely around fear, that is, the fear of being sent to jail.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    Systems of policing and supervision that accompanied the rise in imprisonment have fostered a climate of fear and suspicion in poor communities, in which family members and friends are pressured to inform on one another and young men live as suspects and fugitives with daily fear of confinement.

    “Systems of policing and supervision that accompanied the rise in imprisonment have fostered a climate of fear and suspicion in poor communities-a climate in which family members and friends are pressured to inform on one another and young men live as suspects and fugitives, with the daily fear of confinement.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    People in the modern policed ghetto do not live as tightly controlled and disciplined subjects; rather, they are living as semilegal or illegal people, coping with the daily threat of capture and confinement.

    “People in the modern policed ghetto do not live as tightly controlled and disciplined subjects. Rather, they are living as semilegal or illegal people, coping with the daily threat of capture and confinement.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation
    § THE POLICE AND THE COURTS

    Those accorded a deviant status come to engage in deviance because of being labeled as such, a phenomenon known as secondary deviance.

    “Labeling theory suggests that those accorded a deviant status come to engage in deviance because of being labeled as such (Becker 1963; Lemert 1951). This phenomenon is known as 'secondary deviance' (Lemert 1951:75).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites Becker 1963

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Lemert 1951

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Enclosed spaces make near perfect surveillance and enforcement possible: people can live unlawfully only if they do not get caught or if the authorities look the other way.

    “Enclosed spaces make near perfect surveillance and enforcement possible: people can live unlawfully only if they do not get caught or if the authorities look the other way (Sykes [1958] 2007).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Sykes [1958] 2007

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § DISCUSSION

    Men and women on 6th Street evade and resist the authorities, at times calling on the state for their own purposes, to make claims for themselves as honorable people, and to exercise power over one another.

    “Instead, men and women on 6th Street evade and resist the authorities, at times calling on the state for their own purposes, to make claims for themselves as honorable people, and to exercise power over one another.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Fugitives are, in point of fact, resisting the will of the authorities, and whether or not this resistance is in the end liberatory, their daily lives and the forms of power governing them are clearly distinct from those of inmates subject to panoptic power.

    “Fugitives are, in point of fact, resisting the will of the authorities, and whether or not this resistance is in the end liberatory, their daily lives and the forms of power governing them are clearly distinct from those of inmates subject to panoptic power.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    If the sanction is confinement in a prison, workhouse, or mental asylum, we may see a group of people living as inmates or subjects as described by Foucault's panopticon, but we will also see, outside of these institutions, an apparatus charged with identifying, catching, and judging likely candidates, and a group of people living with the risk of sanction and trying to avoid it, as fugitives.

    “If the sanction is confinement in a prison, workhouse, or mental asylum, we may see a group of people living as inmates or subjects as described by Foucault' s panopticon (or in the way that Sykes [1958] (2007) described people living in prisons or Goffman [1961] described people living in total institutions). But we will also see, outside of these institutions, an apparatus charged with”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites Foucault 1979

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Sykes [1958] 2007

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

    • cites Goffman 1961

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § BEING WANTED AS A MEANS OF ACCOUNTING

    For the young men of 6th Street, being 'on the run' takes the place of, or at least works in concert with, the 'manly flaws' described by Liebow as a means to retain self respect in the face of failure.

    “For the young men of 6th Street, being 'on the run' takes the place of, or at least works in concert with, the 'manly flaws' described by Liebow as a means to retain self respect in the face of failure.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Liebow 1967

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

    Interpretationnone given
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Young men on the run in Philadelphia can tell us something about how power operates in contemporary society.

    “Young men on the run in Philadelphia can tell us something about how power operates in contemporary society.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § BEING WANTED AS A MEANS OF ACCOUNTING

    Mike did not go to Parents' Day earlier in the year at least in part because he had not paid the school fees and did not want to confront the school's administration.

    “From this, I gathered that Mike had not gone to Parents'Day earlier in the year at least in part because he had not paid the school fees and did not want to confront the school' s administration.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data
    § DISCUSSION

    Current policies in Philadelphia grant a sizable group of people-before they are convicted of crimes and after they have served a sentence-an illegal or semilegal status, and this status makes it difficult for them to interact with legitimate institutions without being arrested and sent to jail.

    “The data presented here merely suggest that current policies in Philadelphia grant a sizable group of people-before they are convicted of crimes and after they have served a sentence-an illegal or semilegal status, and that this status makes it difficult for them to interact with legitimate institutions without being arrested and sent to jail.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    Garland argues that a significant failing of Discipline and Punish is that it describes the control potential possessed by modern power-knowledge technologies as if it were the reality of their present-day operation.

    “Garland (1990:168) argues that a significant failing of Discipline and Punish is that it describes 'the control potential possessed by modern power-knowledge technologies as if it were the reality of their present-day operation. '”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Garland 1990 source
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § BEING WANTED AS A MEANS OF ACCOUNTING

    While legal entanglements may exacerbate difficulties, being wanted also serves as a way to save face and to explain inadequacies.

    “While legal entanglements may exacerbate these difficulties, being wanted also serves as a way to save face and to explain inadequacies.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationnone given
    § BEING WANTED AS A MEANS OF ACCOUNTING

    Once a man is wanted, maintaining a stable routine, being with his partner and family, going to work, and using the police may link him to the authorities and lead to his confinement.

    “Once a man is wanted, maintaining a stable routine, being with his partner and family, going to work, and using the police may link him to the authorities and lead to his confinement.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § CONCLUSIONS AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS

    The life of a suspect or a fugitive is quite different from the life of a captive, even though broadly speaking, the same forms of power-observation, examination, the keeping of files-may sustain them both.

    “The life of a suspect or a fugitive is quite different from the life of a captive, even though broadly speaking, the same forms of power-observation, examination, the keeping of files-may sustain them both.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning
    § DISCUSSION

    To ensure that those close to him will not inform on him, a young man comes and goes in irregular and unpredictable ways, remaining elusive and untrusting, sleeping in different beds, and deceiving those close to him about his whereabouts and plans.

    “To ensure that those close to him will not inform on him, a young man comes and goes in irregular and unpredictable ways, remaining elusive and untrusting, sleeping in different beds, and deceiving those close to him about his whereabouts and plans.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
80 of 80
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Even more people were issued bench warrants for missing court or for unpaid court fees, or arrest warrants for failure to turn themselves in for a crime.

    “Even more people were issued bench warrants for missing court or for unpaid court fees, or arrest warrants for failure to turn themselves in for a crime.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The survey reports of warrants and household composition are accurate.

    “In the survey that Chuck and I conducted in 2007, of the 217 households that make up the 6th Street neighborhood, we found 308 men between the ages of 18 and 30 in residence.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 6th Street neighborhood and its residents are representative enough of poor Black urban communities that findings about them can support general claims about 'poor communities' and 'the modern ghetto.'

    “Systems of policing and supervision that accompanied the rise in imprisonment have fostered a climate of fear and suspicion in poor communities”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The men's retrospective accounts and the researcher's observations are sufficient to infer their motives for avoiding work, family events, and other obligations.

    “From this, I gathered that Mike had not gone to Parents'Day earlier in the year at least in part because he had not paid the school fees and did not want to confront the school' s administration.”
4 of 4

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Mike's reported incarceration and time free exceed the stated five-year period

    Major

    Three and a half years incarcerated plus 139 weeks not incarcerated totals about 6.2 years, rather than the five-year period stated for Mike's record. Over five years, 139 weeks free would leave about 2.3 years incarcerated.

1 of 1

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

1 of the 35 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 18

  1. Anderson Elijah, 1999, Code of the Street
  2. Becker Howard, 1963, Outsiders
  3. Bourgois Philippe, 1995, In Search of Respect
  4. Cayton Horace, 1993, Black Metropolis
  5. 10.9783/9780812201802 · DOI
  6. Duneier Mitchell, 1999, Sidewalk
  7. Edin Kathryn, 1997, Making Ends Meet
  8. Foucault Michel, 1979, Discipline and Punish
  9. Glaze Lauren, 2006, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin.
  10. Goffman Erving, 1961, Asylums
  11. Jacobs Bruce, 1999, Dealing Crack
  12. LeBlanc Adrian Nicole, 2003, Random Family
  13. Liebow Elliot, 1967, Tally's Corner
  14. Newman Katherine, 1999, No Shame in My Game
  15. Stack Carol, 1974, All Our Kin
  16. Wacquant Loïc, 2004, Body and Soul
  17. Western Bruce, 2004, Imprisoning America, 21
  18. Williams Terry, 1992, Crackhouse

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Goffman, A.
Affiliations
Princeton University (US)
Corresponding author
Goffman, Alice
Venue
American Sociological Review
Published
2009-06
Volume
74
Issue
3
Pages
339-357
ISSN
  • 0003-1224 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-8271
OpenAlex
W2132561508
Cited by
434
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 38 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 39 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 36
FWCI
66.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
American Sociological Review (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
  • Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Justice and Penology
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
Keywords
warrants, mass incarceration, African American neighborhoods, Philadelphia, policing, surveillance, social control, young Black men, curfew violations, court fees, family ties, community ties, punishment

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-11.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-11.

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