crime and devience

crime vs deviance

• crime- violation of laws

• deviance- violation of social norms

• crime- always punishable criminal offences

• deviance- can be criminal or not criminal

functionalism and crime

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Durkheim and the inevitably of crime

• crime is universal and inevitable

• “crime is normal… an integral part of all healthy societies”

• reasons for crime- people socialised differently, there is diversity in values

positive functions of crime

• boundary maintenance

• adaptation and change

• safety value

• warning

boundary maintenance

• crime produces a reaction from society

• this reinforces members commitment to shared norms and values

• durkeim believes that punishment is meant to reinforce social norms

adaptation and change

• durkeim believes that all change starts with an act of deviance

• with new ideas individuals must try to change and challenge existing norms and at first this will appear as deviance

safety valve

• crime stops threats to institutions

• davis argues that prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the nuclear family

warning

• cohen argues that deviance acts as a warning that an institution is not functioning properly

• e.g. high rates of truancy may tell us there is a problem with the education system and that policy makers need to make adequate change

criticisms of durkeim

• functionalism looks at what functions crime serves for the whole of society but not how it affected individuals

• crime doesn’t always produce solidarity, it may make people feel more isolated

Merton strain theory

• argue that people engage in different behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means

Morton’s 5 responses

• conformity

• innovation

• ritualism

• retreatism

• rebellion

comformity

• accept culturally defined goals

• approve of the socially acceptable means of achieving goals

innovation

• accept the goals

• reject the means

ritualism

• do not accept the culturally defined goals

• accept the means (don’t break the law)

retreatism

• don’t accept the goals

• reject the means of achieving

• e.g. homeless or drug user

rebellion

• accept and set their own goals (not societies) and their own ways of meeting them

evaluation of merton

• Marxists argue that it ignored the power of the ruling class to make and enforce the laws in ways that criminalise the poor not the rich

• assumes that there is a value consensus- that everyone strives for success

• only accounts for financial crimes not violent

cohen and status frustration

• agrees with merton that deviance is largely a lower class phenomenon

• it results from the inability of those in lower classes to achieve mainstream success goals by legitimate means

• however cohen criticised merton by saying he ignored that crime is committed by groups and only focuses on utilitarian crime

stages of status frustration

1. w/c taught m/c norms and values

2. w/c children can’t achieve m/c norms and values

3. w/c suffer status frustration

4. w/c then reject m/c norms and values

5. delinquent subcultures form

6. this offers an alternative route to gain status

alternative status hierarchy

• the subcultures values are spite, hostility and contempt for those outside of it

• the delinquent subculture inverts societies values

• the subcultures function is that it offers the boys an alternative status hierarchy in which they can achieve

• having failed in the legitimate opportunity structure, the boys create their own illegitimate one in which they can win status from peers through delinquent actions

Cloward and ohlin: 3 subcultures

1. criminal subcultures: they arise only in neighbourhoods with a long standing criminal structure with an established hierarchy of professional adult crime- this allows the young to associate with adult criminals

2. conflict subcultures- arises in areas of high population turnover, results in high levels of social disorganisation and prevents a stable professional criminal network developing. Its absence means that the only illegitimate opportunities available are within loosely organised gangs- where violence provides a release of frustration at their blocked opportunities

3. retreatist subcultures- those who fail to be a professional criminal or gang leader as well as failing in the legitimate structure

evaluation

• over predict the amount of working class and ignore the wider power structure

• provides an explanation for different type of working class deviance in terms of subcultures

• assumes that everyone starts off sharing the same mainstream success goals