Crime and deviance topic one

Question 1

Durkheim

Answer 1

Two positive functions - boundary maintenance ( reaction from society)adaptation and change (starts with an act of deviance)

Question 2

Davis and polsky

Answer 2

Prostitution and pornography is good for society as it releases men’s frustrations and doesn’t threat the nuclear family

Question 3

Erickson

Answer 3

Police keeps crime at a certain level and regulates deviance instead of getting rid of it

Question 4

Cohen

Answer 4

Deviance shows an institution isn’t functioning eg truancy shows education isn’t meeting the needs of the pupils

Question 5

Functionalists say ….

Answer 5

It gives people a way to cope with the strains of society

Question 6

Ao3?

Answer 6

It doesn’t always lead to social solidarity such as women staying inside with the fear of being attacked and it doesn’t explain why crime exists

Question 7

Strain theory

Answer 7

People engage in deviant behaviour when they can’t get socially approved goals in a legitimate way

Question 8

Who developed strain theory and what was his explanation?

Answer 8

Merton - structural factors and cultural factors

Question 9

The American dream

Answer 9

Success for one and all-disadvantaged groups don’t have the same opportunities - produces frustration which leads to crime- Merton calls strain to anomie

Question 10

Deviant adaptations to strain

Answer 10

Merton used to explain patterns of deviance

Question 11

5 adaptations to strain

Answer 11

Conformity - individuals strive to achieve goals + innovation - accept goals but use illegitimate ways + ritualism - give up on achieving goals but follow rules + retreatism - reject goals and legitimate ways and become dropouts + rebellion - rejects society’s goals and replaces them with new ones

Question 12

Subcultural strain theories

Answer 12

Deviance is the product of a deviant subculture

Question 13

Status frustration

Answer 13

Cohen agrees that deviance is a working class phenomenon - criticised mertons strain theory and said he only focused on utilitarian crime - argued delinquent acts are prompted by status frustration- attempts to gain status through alternative ways - said those most likely to commit deviant acts are those who live in deprived areas and lower streams in schools as they are less likely to get a job - said working class boys face anomie and suffer from cultural deprivation- leaves them at the bottom of the status hierarchy-creates an alternative hierarchy that’s based on spite - ao3 - offers explanation for group based crime - however it assumes wc boys share the same goals as the middle class