crime and deviance

Durkheim view on crime - boundary maintenance

ao1: boundary maintenance- crime produces a reaction from society. Punishment isnt to punish the wrongdoer instead reinforce societies shared rules

ao2: 2011 and 2024 riots- sets an example of the wrongdoers

ao3: Postmodernists- there isnt a value consensus

adaptation and change

ao1: without c+d we would be stuck with no change. If people never committed crime society would never change

ao2: Nelson Mandela/ Martin Luther King

ao3: Postmodernists- deterministic

Merton ao1

studied concept of american dream. When people cannot access the institutionalised means & cultural goals of their society they experience anomie which in turn leads to strain

5 responses to strain

conformity

innovation

ritualism

retreatism

rebellion

ao2 for merton

Hannon and Defronzo:

= they found that those with higher levels of welfare support had lower levels of crime

= this is because those who needed the most support felt less strain when helped by the government = this reduced anomie and therefore reduced crime

ao3 of merton

Marxists argue that he doesnt take into account crime amongst successful people who do no feel strain

cohen status frustration

ao1: blocked opportunities to succeed led to formation of sub cultures. unable to achieve status in education leads to status frustration

ao2: willis’ the lads

ao3: PM lyng and katz- influenced by boredom or seeking a buzz

cloward and ohlin

ao1: varied social circumstances in which w/c youth found themselves living in will determine what subculture they join-where they live and their ability to be a criminal

ao2: venkatesh chicago criminal culture

ao3: mx- ignore wider power structure and causes of crime