In any social field, it is firmly in the interests of leaders (incumbents) to maintain social order and thus retain their privileged field position. In addition, a set of internal rules must apply to the social field that govern strategic action and are understood by all. These rules are enforced via the sanctions repertoire, which permits street capital to be instantly adjusted, inflated or deflated. The sanctions repertoire is a set of recognisable strategic actions, tried, tested and governed by the habitus. It acts as the key mechanism by which those in the social field of the gang reinforce social norms and maintain social order.

Incumbents use the sanctions repertoire both formally and informally to manage street capital and thereby maintain social norms and social order (Luzetti, cited in Halpern, 2005). While some sanctions are indirect and subtle, the gang social field provides latitude for sanctions to be both overt and severe: more so than in other social fields where reputation and street capital are less important. Sanctions also operate as a mechanism for making numerous minor adjustments to interpersonal relationships. In this way, sanctions are used by incumbents to maintain their field position and control challengers through expressing and reasserting power dynamics and rank.

Sanctions are however used by all members of the social field as strategic actions and mechanisms to achieve slight advantage as they jostle for a new and improved field position. In this way a quick verbal putdown or punch provides a strategic action of advancement. Conversely, and just as importantly, sanctions may be used to block or curtail the strategic action of others.

In the social field of the gang it is incumbents who are most skilled and adept at using the sanctions repertoire. Skilfully employed sanctions can be used to regulate street capital of challengers, e.g. by allocating a severe beating for getting it wrong; or oriented to build trust and respect, e.g. praise for jobs well done from an elder to a younger. In such ways, employing a component of the sanctions repertoire will affect either a rise or a fall in a person's stock of street capital.