Functionalism, strain, and subcultural theories

Why do functionalists believe we have crime?

→ Not everyone is equally socialised into norms/values

* These help act as social control

→ We have a pluralistic society, so **different groups have subcultural norms/values** which might be diff to mainstream values

Durkheim -- inevitability of crime

In society some people are inadequately socialised + prone to deviate

→ Crime is ==**inevitable and universal**==

Six functions of crime -- Durkheim

==**Boundary maintenance**==; reaction from society, unites members against wrongdoer

==**Adaptation & change**==; people challenge existing norms which appears deviant, others agree which leads to change

==**Safety valve**==; way of expressing discomfort

* e.g. prostitutes release sexual frustrations of men

==**Warning light**==; indicates institutional are malfunctioning

* e.g. truancy indicates issues in education

==**Publicity function**==; media/CJS shows consequences of deviancy

==**Show extremes of behaviour**==; how far society will allow itself to be pushed

Evaluation of six functions of crime

→ Assumes crime performs positive functions for society as a whole

→ Ignores how it effects individuals

* Crime isnt functional for victims

Strengths of Durkheim

→ Many sociologists influenced by him

→ First to analyse deviance in terms of broad sociological theory

Criticisms of Durkheim

→ Claims society needs some deviance, doesnt indicate how much

→ Explains crime in terms of the function, but not WHY it exists

→ Doesn’t explain why some people more likely to commit crime

→ DATED!!!

Merton’s strain theory

People engage in deviant behaviour when they ==**cant achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means**==, combines

→ ==**Structural factors**==; society’s unequal opportunity structure

→ ==**Cultural factors**==; strong emphasis on success goals, less emphasis on using legit means to achieve them

American Dream -- Merton

→ Deviance results from striain between ==**goals individuals are encouraged to aim for**== vs what they are ==**allowed to achieve legitimately**== by society

→ American society tends towards **anomie** (normlessness); norms too weak to restrain people from using deviancy to achieve goals

* ‘American dream’ emphasises financial success, expected to pursue via legit means
* American society has **myth of meritocracy;** poverty blocks opportunities

→ Strain between ==**cultural goal/lack of legit opps**== produces frustration

→ Pressure to result to illegit means, ==**want to achieve success at any costs**==

* WInning the game more important than playing by the rules

Merton -- deviant adaptations to strain

Strain to anomie = ==**strain between means and how you get there**==**.** Individual’s position in society affects **how they adapt to strain to anomie**

→ ==**Conformity**==; accept goals, try to achieve legitimately

→ ==**Innovation**==; accept goals, use illegit means

→ ==**Ritualism**==; give up on goals, follow rules for own sake

→ ==**Retreatism**==; reject goals + legit means, drop out of society

→ ==**Rebellion**==; replace goals/means with new ones, aim to bring about change

* e.g. terrorists

Strengths of strain to anomie

→ Shows how normal/deviant behaviour arises from same mainstream goals

→ Explains patterns in statistics

* Most crime = property crime, society values material wealth
* W/c crime higher because they have least opportunity to gain wealth

Weaknesses of strain to anomie

→ Takes official stats at face value

→ Too deterministic; not all w/c people deviate

→ Ignores power of r/c to make/enforce laws

→ Fails to account for **non-utilitarian crime**

Subcultural strain theories

→ Criticise/build on ^^**Merton**^^

→ See deviance as ==**product of delinquent subcultures**==

* Offer members solution in how to gain status

Hirshi’s Control Theory

Why dont people commit crimes? = bonds to social institutions (**family, education, religion, work)**

TYPES OF BONDs:

→ ==**Involvement**==; too busy to be delinquent

→ ==**Belief**==**;** degree to which we think we should obey law

→ ==**Attachment**== to others

→ ==**Commitment**==; investment in conventional society

Evaluation of Hirshi

→ Recognises importance of socialisation

→ Possible to be deviant and still have social bonds

How does Cohen criticise Merton?

→ ^^**Merton**^^ sees deviance as an individual response

* ^^**Cohen**^^ identifies a **collective response**

→ Focuses only on utilitarian crime e.g. theft, ==**ignores non-utilitarian crime without economic motive**==

Cohen -- status frustration

W/C boys face **anomie in education/work**

→ Culturally deprived, lack skills to achieve, so at bottom of status hierarchy

→ Suffer ==**status frustration**==; resolve by rejecting mainstream m/c values, turn to others + form a subculture

Alternative status hierarchy -- Cohen

→ Subculture offers ==**illegitimate opportunity structure**== for boys failing to achieve legitimately

→ Subculture provides ==**alternative status hierarchy**==; to win status via delinquency

→ Values spite/malice/contempt for those outside it

* Condemsn what society praises

Evaluation of Cohen

→ Offers explanation of ==**non-utilitarian deviance**== unlike ^^**Merton**^^

→ Assumes w/c boys start out sharing m/c goals; ignores possibility that they **never shared them at all** + aren't reacting to failure

Cloward & Ohlin -- subcultures

→ Agree with **Merton** that w/c youth deviance stems from lack of opportunity to achieve, but **not everyone adapts by turning to innovation**

* Some resort to violence or drug use

→ Not just unequal access to legit opp structure, but unequal access to illegal opp structures too

* Not everyone failing in school can crack safes

→ 3 subcultures

3 subcultures identified by Cloward & Ohlin

→ ==**Criminal subculture**==; in areas with stable criminal culture, __**hierarchy of professional adult crime**__

* Adult criminals select/train youths + provide them w/ opportunities on the crim. career ladder

→ ==**Conflict subculture**==; in areas of high population turnover, prevents development of stable criminal network

* Loosely organised gangs, violence provides release for frustration. Alternative status from winning ‘turf’

→ ==**Retreatist subculture**==; fail in legit + illegit opportunity structures

* Turn to subculture based on illegal drug use

Evaluation of Cloward & Ohlin

→ Ignores crimes of wealthy/wider power structures

→ Overpredict amount of w/c crime

→ Most subculture actually show characteristics of more than one type

→ ==**Reactive**== theory; explains deviant cultures as forming due to failure to achieve

* Not everyone may shares these goals to start

→ ^^**Ventakesh**^^; found similar subcultures in Chicago housing project

Miller -- subcultures

W/c has own independent subculture with different values; **six focal concerns**

→ Excitement

→ Trouble

→ Fatalism

→ Autonomy

→ Toughness

→ Smartness

Eval of Miller -- subcultures

Is there really a lower class that totally rejects cultural values

Matza -- subcultural

Most young people **drift in and out** of delinquency

→ Little evidence demonstrating distinct set of antisocial values

Messner & Rosenfeld -- subcultures

Institutional Anomie theory

→ In societies based on free market capitalism with inadequate welfare, **high crime rates inevitable**

How have subcultural theories been influential on other theories + policymaking?

→ ^^**Merton**^^; played part in left realist explanations of crime

→ ^^**Ohlin**^^; appointed to help develop US crime policies under Kennedy