Functionalism on crime

crime

act that breaks a law

deviance

act that goes against societal norms

social contol

methods used to persuade or force people to conform to the dominant social norms or values of a group

historical definition of crime

past crimes may be legal now and vice versa such as upskirting or homosexuality

contextual definition of crime

crime may be allowed in one situation but not another such as murder in self defence but not in other contexts

cultural definition of crime

different cultures allow some behaviours such as smoking weed

generational definition of crime

some ages are able to commit certain acts such as drinking alcohol

anomie

state of normlessness where social norms break down as they are unclear

normative

based on the norms of society

relativistic

based on the reality of society such as the capitalist structure

collective conscience

assuming we all share one set of norms and values and stick to them

what’s the basic functionalist view on crime and deviance

crime is beneficial for society and is necessary for its function, it is often inevitable

what are the three functions crime has according to Durkheim

boundary maintenance, social cohesion, adaptation and change

Outline boundary maintenance

Crime is in society to re establish the boundaries within society, when someone breaks them and are punished society realises the consequences of crime and is more unlikely to commit it

Outline social cohesion in relation to crime

The repercussions of crime bring people together for example mourning over a large loss

Outline adaptation and change

Crime often allows society to adapt and change, for example freedom fighters such as Emily Davidson pinning rosett on horse encouraging development of female rights

What did polsky argue

Prostitution and pornography acts as a means to release sexual frustration which prevents and reduces amount of sexual offences e.g assault

Explain safety valve

Small scale crimes such as local theft and vandalism can prevent larger scale crimes such as grand theft auto

What are some criticisms of functionalist ideology on crime

It is unquantifiable and doesn’t indicate weather we need more or less crime, it can lead to isolation of individuals if their response to crime is socially unacceptable, macro approach that doesn’t consider the impact on the victim, too positive and doesn’t reflect the victims state, delinquents can respond to crime regretfully through guilt etc which follows norms rather than rejects them

Who developed strain theory

Robert K Merton

Outline strain theory

Crime is the result of people experiencing strain as they are unable to access the goals of the ‘American Dream’ and must do so by other means, there was an overemphasis on the goals of the American dream but underemphasis on legitimate means to achieve so

Illegitimate means

Socially unacceptable ways to achieve a goal

American dream

A capitalist lifestyle based on money and materialism where the goal is money

What did Merton say about meritocracy

Meritocracy is a myth and the mindset of working hard did not exist anymore

Why do individuals turn to illegitimate means to achieve goals

They have to adapt to their underprivileged circumstances so turn to crime as they cannot access legitimate means

What are Mertons five responses

Conformity, innovation, rebellion, retreatism, ritualism

Conformity and example

Accept goals and follow legitimate means : rich white man

Innovation and example

Make new goals but follow illegitimate means : mafia boss

Rebellion and example

Don’t accept the goals and don’t accept the means, instead create new means : just stop oil

Retreatism and example

Don’t accept the goals and means : drug addict

Ritualism and example

Accept the means but loose sight of the goals and follow the routine : middle class worker

What are the issues with mertons strain theory

He underestimates the amount of white collar crime and only focuses on working class crime, assumption of value consensus, only discusses utilitarian crime, focus on society rather than individual response, doesn’t explain why some who experience strain dont turn to crime

What type of criminal group do sociologists tend to focus on

Gangs

Who developed status frustration

Albert Cohen

Outline status frustration

Working class boys face anomie in the middle class education system causing underachievement and status frustration. As a result, they turn to delinquency

What are the strengths of cohens theory

He focused on non-utilitarian crimes unlike Merton who only focused on utilitarian crimes

Who argues the three subculture theory

Cloward and Ohlin

Outline the three subculture theory

Different subcultures react in different ways according to the lack of legitimate opportunity, not everyone has equal access to illegitimate opportunities resulting in three subcultures: criminal, conflict, reatreatist

explain cloward + ohlins criminal subculture

youths are provided with a stable career path in utilitarian crime, usually organised by mafia or other experienced criminal groups

explain cloward and ohlins conflict subculture

gangs are usually organised by young people themselves and territory is usually based on “turf wars“

explain cloward and ohlins retreatist subculture

not everyone who wants to be a criminal succeeds as they don’t have the illegitimate opportunity resulting in a double failure, turn to drugs to cope

Issues with cloward and ohlins theory

Ignore upper class crime and only focus on working class, over-predicts working class crime, ignores wider power structure, assumes shared goals

Explain drift theory

Matza stated that delinquents do not stick to their subculture and its values but rather drift in and out of committing crime, usually when committed, we use techniques of neautralisation

What did miller argue

The working class have their on set of values that fits in their own separate subculture, they do not value success in the first place so members do not feel frustrated with failure, strive to achieve personal goals rather than mainstream ones

Techniques of neutralisation

When committing a crime, one uses techniques to justify the crime such as denying responsibility or denying the repercussions