crime and deviance: functionalists

what is the functionalists attitude towards crime and deviance

crime is inveitable and universal

who is the main theorist for functionalist crime

durkenheim

what are durkenheims four functions of crime

boundry maintainance

adaptation and change

safety valve

warning light

what are the critisms of durkenheim

ignores how crime can affect victims

society requires a certain amount of deviance to function but offers no way of knowing how much is the right amount

what is mertons strain theory

people engage in deviant behaviour when they can’t achieved socially approved goals by legitimate means

what is the american dream

emphasises ‘money success’ through legitimate means ie education & hard work

how does the american dream relate to the strain theory

poverty and discrimination block opportunities for many to achieve by legitimate means

resulting in a strain between the cultural goal (money, success) and the lack of legitimate opportunities, this produces frustration and a pressure to resort to illegitimate means.

limitations of strain theory

too deterministic, not all working class people deviate

his theory ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce the laws

do cloward and ohlin agree with merton

yes, W/C youths are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve (in school & jobs) and that deviance stems from their response to that strain

what are cloward and ohlins three subcultures

criminal subculture

conflict subculture

retreatist subculture

what is a criminal subculture

provide youths with an ‘apprenticeship in utilitarian crime’

adult criminals can select and train those youths with the right abilities and provide them with opportunities on the criminal career ladder

what is conflict subculture

areas high population, socially disorganised

approved and illegal means of achieving mainstream goals are blocked and young people express their frustration at this situation through violence obtaining status through success in subcultural peer-group values

what is retreatist subculture

‘double failures’ who fail both in the legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structurers often turn to a retreatist or ‘dropout’ subculture based on illegal drug use.

critisms of cloward and ohlin

ignore the crimes of the wealthy

over-predict the amount of W/C crime

what does cohen think about status frustration

working class subcultures emerge because they are denied status in society