Functionalist views on Crime

What are the functions of crime?

To promote social change, strengthen social bonds, set boundaries and provide work and purpose

What is anomie?

A state of normlessness, referring to a person being insufficiently socialised

Durkheim

Used anomie to describe a breakdown or absence of shared norms and values that usually guide behaviour in society, due to rapid social change many people are not properly socialised into the shared values of society

What were the 3 types of criminals Durkheim described?

Genetic criminal - biological reason, Functional rebels - act to identify strain in society, Skewed deviants - improperly socialised can be dealt with social control

Merton

Regarded anomie as vague, he described it as a disjunction between goals and means

What were Merton’s responses?

Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, Rebellion

What does conformity mean?

People cope by following rules in hope for success, they accept the socially approved means of achieving success

What does innovation mean?

People are committed to social values and goals of the American dream but find alternative ways of achieving them if they cannot achieve them legitimately

What does ritualism mean?

People go through the motions without real expectations of success, they do not accept mainstream goals and seek satisfaction in other ways

What is retreatism?

People may reject both goals and legitimate means of achieving them so may turn to non conforming lifestyles

What is rebellion?

People aim to replace shared values with alternatives and may even use violence to get there

Cohen

Status frustration, working class lack the resources to succeed in schools and wider MC society, working class boys fail and form delinquent subcultures with different forms of peer approval and alternative status

What are Walter Millers’ focal concerns

Autonomy, Toughness, smartness, Excitement, Fate, Trouble

Cloward and Ohlin

Lower working class do not share mainstream norms and values and set illegitimate career structures to gain status and access. Developing subcultures: criminal, conflict violent and retreatist

What are Hirschi bonds of attachment?

Attachment - emotional ties mean we do not want to break rules

Commitment - The more we risk losing the less likely to offend

Involvement - being busy leaves less time to offend

Belief - if we think rules are fair we will not break them