Functionalist and subcultural theories of crime Flashcards
(12 cards)
Durkheim
- crime is inevitable, positive for society to a degree: too much or too little can cause dysfunction
- crime caused by free will, inadequate socialisation, conflicting views despite value consensus, subcultures
BOUNDARY MAINTENANCE
- boundaries of right and wrong, creates unity against the wrongdoer
- strengthens the collective bond = value consensus
- creates a law abiding society so that breaking norms and values is seen as unacceptable
- eg terrorist attacks
:( ignores the victims of crime who do not positively benefit from their experience of crime
ADAPTATION AND CHANGE
- crime allows society to progress and make social change
- if norms and values were never challenged, society would never progress
- eg LGBTQ+ rights
:( underestimates the power of the state, people may want to bring social change to society but either lack the power to do so, or are prevented by the fear of punishment for challenging the system
evaluation of Durkheim
- crime marginalises some communities (eg muslims)
- doesn’t identify what the correct level of crime actually is
Cohen (warning light)
- crime acts as a warning light
- crime occurring in certain areas or in certain ways helps to alert society of a social problem for institutions that are failing
Davies (safety valve)
- crime acts as a safety valve
- pornography / prostitution may help to prevent more serious crimes against women such as domestic violence, rape and sexual assault
Merton (strain theory)
STRAIN THEORY
- crime is a response to strain felt on individuals e.g. the poor who are unable to achieve achieve the goals of society legitimately
- causes frustration so turn to criminal behaviours such as drug use to comfort their failure
5 TYPES OF STRAIN
- conformity: accept cultural goals and legitimate means (usually those with professional jobs)
- innovation:accept cultural goals and reject legitimate means (accept goals of money success but use illegitimate means to achieve them eg theft)
- ritualism: reject cultural goals and accept legitimate means but lack ambition
- retreatism: reject cultural goals and legitimate means (eg drop outs, alcoholics drug addicts)
- rebellion: reject and replace cultural goals, reject means, create their own that meet their particular group or culture
evaluation of Merton
- over exaggerates importance of economic success, people may have other motivations for crime
- fails to explain non-utilitarian crime
Cohen (status frustration)
STATUS FRUSTRATION
- young working class boys face anomie due to the middle class school system
- these boys resolve frustration by rejecting middle class values to join deviant subcultures
- don’t achieve mainstream success through legitimate means (eg cultural deprivation, lack social status), causes status frustration, turn to crime such as vandalism, riots
evaluation of Cohen
- only focused on boys, cannot apply ideas to other groups such as girls
Cloward and Ohlin (differential opportunity)
DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY
- argue that not everyone who fails to achieve success through legitimate means then hasn’t equal chance of becoming successful through illegitimate means
- eg different neighbourhoods provide different opportunities for young people to learn criminal skills and develop criminal careers
- instead they identify three types of deviant subcultures:
CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE
- WC areas with resources that can be exploited (eg small businesses)
CONFLICT SUBCULTURE
- mainly very deprived areas, fight over territory and status
RETREATISTS SUBCULTURE
- those who fail to access both conflict and criminal subcultures so they retreat to drug use eg crackhouse
evaluation Cloward and Ohlin
- focuses only on WC crime, fails to explain white collar crime and corporate crime
Miller (focal concerns)
FOCAL CONCERNS
- argue that lower classes create their different value system as a response to working class jobs which allow them to cope with their situation
- working class boys become delinquent because they grow up in a subculture with these values, so they are more likely to break the law (so deviance is a result of socialisation)
- smartness (dressing smartly with expensive brands)
- trouble (getting into it and staying out of it)
- excitement (activities such as fighting and taking drugs to help deal with the boredom of every day life)
- toughness (must be willing to fight)
- autonomy (independent, reject authority)
- fate (accept that they are not in control, what will be, will be)
evaluation of Miller
- too deterministic to assume all working class people are socialised into this culture
- ignores free well to reject this culture and live legitimately despite being working class
