As I see a few Wire fans replying here, I'd like to recommend two related books that will give more insight and provoke some thought (if you haven't done so already):

Homicide (a year on the killing streets), David Simon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide:_A_Year_on_the_Killing...

The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, David Simon and Ed Burns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Corner:_A_Year_in_the_Life_...