Functionalist perspective on Crime

What is the main functionalist idea on crime?

That crime is inevitable and can serve positively just as much as it can serve negatively.

What does Durkheim claim are the positive functions of crime?

• Boundary maintenance- Crime produces a reaction from society. This unites the members in condemnation of the wrong doer and reinforces everyone’s commitment to the shared norms and values. This is done through rituals of the courtroom. (Dramaticise and publicly shame the offender).

• Adaptation and change- All change starts with deviance/ and act of deviance. Abortion and sexuality protests led to legalisation. Although some of the protests may have been violent they led to change.

• Safety valve- Minor crimes can provide a safety valve which prevent serious crimes. E.g. prostitution can act as a safety valve, preventing men from having to rape women due to lustfulness. This is obviously an extreme as men should not feel as if they ‘need’ to rape women to satisfy their needs. Feminists argue this simply just perpetuates patriarchy and that even prostitutes are victims.- Gary Ridgeway

• Warning Light- Shows something needs to be changed in society.

What is an evaluation of Durkheim’s perspective?

• His ideas ignore the negative functions of crime and does not provide an explanation or solution to crime.

What does Merton claim is an explanation for crime?

• Merton claims that individuals commit crime due to strain.

• Deviance is the result of strain between societies goals and legitimate means.

• Strain creates anomie (normlessness) and people then don’t know how to achieve the goals and therefore turn to illegitimate means.

• Merton uses the American dream as an example on the responses people give to trying to achieve what is supposedly attainable in a meritocratic society.

  • Conformity- This is when people accept the goals and the legitimate means.

  • Innovation- This is when people accept the goals but are unable to go through legitimate means so have to use illegitimate ones. This is due to poor socialisation.

  • Ritualism- When people give up on the goals but continue to accept the means. People may be faced with the fact they are unable to achieve these goals due to their socialisation or their financial status but continue to follow the means due to not knowing what else to do.

  • Retreatism- Reject the goals and the means- Retreat from society and become dropouts.

  • Rebellion- Reject goals and means but create their own society. They sub out the american dream for their own. Ie.hippies or political radicals.

Evaluation of Merton’s strain theory:

Negatives:

• Doesn’t explain group crimes.

• Doesn’t explain upper class crime.

• Doesn’t explain non- financial crime.

Positives:

• Supports property crime.

• Recognises different responses to strain.

• Explain the causes of crime.

What is Cohen’s ideas on crime?

• Cohen believes that there are two steps to crime.

• Step 1- W/C boys are negatively labelled in education and due to a lack of status they join anti school subcultures.

• Step 2- Then they join deviant outside of school subcultures and turn to crime because they believe it is the only way to gain status from their peers.

Evaluation of Cohen:

• If students are negatively labelled they may form a self refuting prophecy (opposite of self- fulfilling meaning they will do everything in their power to prove their label is not correct). Thus, not all students specifically W/C boys adhere to their label and create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

• It assumes that all working class pupils who are labelled turn to deviation- This may be deemed deterministic.

Cloward and Ohlin- Development of Cohen

• Claim that there are three different types of subcultures (referring to Cohen’s status frustration)

  • Criminal- Emerged when there is already crime in that area- drug dealing etc.

  • Retreatism- Double failure (failed to achieve goals through legitimate means so they become drop outs). They may turn to alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism.

  • Conflict- emerge from less populated areas or areas where crime may not be as common so turn to this such as gang violence to gain status.

What is the problem with Cloward and Ohlin’s ideas about crime?

It is too similar and overlaps with the topic of conflict.

What is Hirschi’s Control Theory?

• People break the law due to a breakdown of societal bonds which consist of 4 things:

  • Attachment- Extent to which we care about others opinions and desires.

  • Belief- Extent to which we are committed to upholding society’s rules and laws

  • Commitment- Personal investment in own lives ( what do we have to lose if we get caught).

  • Involvement- extent to which we are integrated in society.

Evaluation of Hirschi’s control theory:

• Recognises importance of social control.

• Doesn’t explain a variety of crime and deviance