Functionalist Theories Of Crime Flashcards
What are the 4 key characteristics of crime identified by Durkheim?
Functional:
Crime is functional for society. Boundaries of acceptable behaviours are made known by the arrest of those who break the rule. This strengthens social bonds between people and reaffirms values when they are drawn together by horrific crimes.
Inevitable:
It is impossible for everyone to be equally committed to the norms and values to society. There will always be difference between people, as some will step over the boundary of acceptable behaviour.
Normal/Universal:
There is no society where there is no crime. Abnormal levels of crime occur in times of social upheaval - the power of the collective conscience is weakened and a state on anomie develops as people look after their own interests rather than respecting their neighbours. Individualism therefore can be seen as a source of crime.
Relative:
This means crime is relative to time and place - different societies will have different laws about what is and is not criminal/deviant.
What are the positive functions of crime according to funtionalism?
- Boundary maintenance - When individuals commit acts that break the rules of society, this is accompanied by a sense of outrage, which reinforces the majority support of the rules of the society.
- Adaption and change - Durkheim believes that crime is needed - it is impossible to imagine a society of saints in which no one committed what we see as crime, in which everyone behaved impeccably. If such society existed, Durkheim believed that the division between what is seen as acceptable and unacceptable would still exist.
—> Too much crime can break down social order and too little crime shows restriction of freedom.
What are some examples where crime can be positive?
- Cohen argues that crime can be positive. Crime/deviance is a warning that an institution is not functioning properly.
- Davis argues that prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family.
- Erikson argues that if deviance performs positive social functions, then perhaps it means society is actually organised so promotes deviance.
What are the strengths of functionalism?
-Demonstrates the useful purpose served by crime (ie highlights inconsistencies within the social structure, reinforces the collective conscience etc..)
-Offers an explanation that emphasizes a social (as opposed to a physiological/psychological) dimension to crime.
-Explains the reason for unhealthy levels of crime which could be altered by social engineering (eg introducing new laws, governmental policies etc..).
-Avoids biological/psychological theories which refer to ‘sick’ individuals.
What are the weaknesses of functionalism?
-Does not explain individual
motivations and why only some
people commit crime.
-It assumes harmony and that the
law reflects the interests of the
majority, in doing so it ignores the
issue of power (ie who has it and
who hasn’t)
-Over emphasis on the degree of
consensus in society.
-May result in a pessimistic approach
regarding the control of crime
(more laws, stricter policing,
harsher sentencing etc…)
-Crime is not functional for
everyone – for example, the victim.
Functionalism fails to ask the
question ‘functional for whom?’
What are the two key mechanisms functionalists argue that are needed in order to achieve the same norms and values in society?
- Socialisation - Instils the shared culture into its members. This helps to ensure that individuals internalise the same norms and values, and that they feel right to act in the ways that society requires.
- Social control - Mechanisms include rewards for conformity, and punishments for deviance. These help to ensure that individuals behave in the way society expects.
What do strain theorists argue the is reason for people committing crime?
People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means (i.e they cannot access the things they want from life legally so they turn to illegal ways of accessing these things) For example, a person might become frustrated and resort to criminals means of getting what they want.
What is Robert Merton strain theory based on?
Based on the ‘American Dream’. All Americans were expected to pursue this dream legally, by studying, gaining qualifications, working hard. This is known as a meritocratic society - anyone who makes the effort can succeed.
What is Merton’s explanation of crime?
- Structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structure
- Cultural factors - The strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them
What does Merton argue deviance is the result of?
He argues deviance is the result of a strain between two things:
-The goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
-What the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately.
How does the ‘American Dream’ link to Merton’s strain theory?
The ideology of the American Dream tells Americans that their society is a meritocratic one where anyone who makes the effort can get ahead. However, many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunity to achieve legitimately. Resulting strain between the cultural goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunity to achieve it produces frustration, and this in turn creates a pressure to resort to illegitimate means.
What are the 5 different types of adaption Merton identifies?
- Conformist - accepts the goals and means legitimately - Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately. E.g lawyers, doctors and stock brokers.
- Rebel - reject society’s goals and means but creates new ones - Individuals reject the existing society’s goals and means, but they replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionaries. E.g revolutionaries and anarchists.
- Ritualists - reject goals and accept means - Individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals, but have internalised the legitimate means so they follow the rules for their own sake. E.g office workers and routine jobs.
4.Innovator - accept goals and reject the means - Individuals accept the goal of money success but use ‘new’ legitimate means such as theft or fraud to achieve it. E.g Al Capone, gangsters and bank robbers.
- Retreatist - Rejects the goals and means - Individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts. E.g outcasts, tramps and vagrants.
What are the strengths of Merton’s theory?
- Merton’s work can be applied to some contemporary trends in crime - such as a rise in property crime during the 70s and 80s. In these figures the working class do appear more due to greater pressure of strain.
- Merton’s work remains one of the more plausible attempts to explain crime rates in whole societies. The rise of individualism as a result of New Right political policies encouraged a greater emphasis on the individual success and therefore contributed to a prise in property crime.
- Reiner believes Merton’s theory can be adapted to accommodate criticism, for example politically motivated crime is seen as a part of the ‘rebel’ response.
What are the weaknesses of Merton’s theory?
- Not all crime can be explained by monetary gain. Taylor, Watson and Young argue tat the theory cannot account for politically motivated crime and Cohen discusses non-utilitarian crime.
- Merton assumes that there is a value consensus in American society and that people only deviate because of structural strain in society. Miller suggests society consists of distinct sub-cultural groups having their own distinct value systems.
- Matza sees 3 problems with the notion of a social structure putting strain on an an individual - 1. Deviants become more distinctive than they really are. 2. Delinquency becomes “over predicted” due to class position. And 3. The deviant has little or no freedom of choice - that their behaviour is determined by social forces beyond their control.
How do other theories compare to functionalists view on crime?
Marxists believe the laws are created and enforced by the r/c with the aim of keeping the w/c under control. This theory criticises Functionalists on crime because Marxist believe the law is unfair and unequal whereas functionalists believe laws benefit all.
