Functionalism, strain and subcultural theory - crime

According to Durkheim, what aare the 2 ways that functionalsist see crime as inevitable

Not everyone is socialised to the same norms and values

Anomie making laws and rules less clear cut

What are Durkheims 2 positive functions of crime

1. Boundary maintenance - Coutrs and punsihments publically shame offenders which reaffirms the law abiding majority and discourages others from committing crime

2. Adaptation and change - For Durkheim, all change starts with a single act of deviance, such as airport security after 9/11

Why does Durkheim see some crime as beneficial for society

Too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart

Too little crime means that society is repressing and controlling members too much

What is Polsky’s function of crime

Safety valve for men to safely channel their sexual desires away from something that will harm the nucler family e.g. pornograhy may prevent adultery

What is Cohen’s function of crime

Cohen says that crime acts as a warning system to society that an institution isnt functioning properly

Criticisms of Durkheim’s functonalist theory

Society may not actualy intend to create crime to strengthen society

We can exist in a society without crime

What is Merton’s strain theory

Merton argues that people engage in deviant activities when they are unable to achieve mainstream goals through legitimate means

What are Merton’ s5 adaptations to strain

1. Conformity - achieving mainstream goals through legitimate means

2. innovation - achieving mainstream goals through illegitimate means

3. ritualism - giving up on mainstream goals but not engaging in deviant activities

4. retreatism - failure to achieve mainstream goals through illegitimate means so resort to drug use

5. rebellion - replace societies goals with new ones, such as Hippies

Evaluation of Merton’s strain theory

1. most crime is porperty crime as American’s value wealth so highly

2. however it takes official crime stats at face value

3. deterministic

How does Cohen’s subcultural theory differ from Merton’s strain theory in 2 ways

1. Cohen sees most crime as non-utilitarian

2. Cohen sees crime as committed in groups

According to Cohen, why do people commit crime

He argues that working class boys suffer from cultural dperivation, so they lack teh material to achieve at school and fail to achieve status in school. They then seek to achieve elsewhere and find it in all male street gangs. They commit crime out of status frustration.

What is Cohen’s alternative status heirarchy

Cohen says that subcultures invert the values of mainstream society. For example, society upholds regular school attendance and achievement whereas in subculture boys gain status from vandalism

Evaluation of Cohen’s subcultural theory

Cohen ignores the possibility that working class boys never held societies goals, so they never saw themselves as failures

What are Cloward and Ohlin’s 3 subcultures

1. criminal subculture - Provide youths with an apprenticeship in crime, where there is a hierarchy of professional crime e.g. mafia

2. Conflict subculture - Boys gain status through violence and fights with other gangs such as turf wars. For example the Cripz and Bloodz

3. Retreatist subculture - those who fail in a deviant career resort to drug addiction. Also known as ‘double failures’ as they fail in legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures

Evaluation of Cloward and Ohlin

Matza argues that most delinquents arent strongly committed to their subculture, but drift in and out of deviance