Functionalism and Crime

• General views on functionalism:

  • Everything in society has a function
  • Consensus theory
  • Macro theory
  • Everything in society works together
  • Everything in society is needed
  • Society is like the human body (organic analogy)
  • Social cohesion - shared norms and values
  • Similar to New Right
  • Structural theory
  • Social solidarity - society acts as one
• Functionalist views on crime:

  • Crime is a function and is needed to keep society working
  • Official statistics are an accurate reflection of crime
  • Crime statistics are not socially constructed
  • It has the function of providing jobs
  • Crime has a function (mainly good)
  • Can cause social change
  • Define norms and values from crime
  • Brings people together
• Merton, Durkheim, and Cohen are functionalists
• Merton, Durkheim, and Cohen are functionalists
• Functionalists believe that crime in small amounts is necessary for society to function. They argue that crime is inevitable (going to happen) as not everyone can be fully socialised into the norms and values of society. The 'right amount' of crime can be seen as having positive functions for society.
• Anomie is normlessness. Having too much crime can break down the norms of society and create normlessness. This can be caused by things such as the London riots. To get rid of anomie you need to re-establish the norms and values of society by using institutions such as the police or army.
• Evaluation:

  Functionalists can be seen as being too positive as they can see people being killed as good for society. Crime is not always functional for society as a limited amount of crime is a positive function for society but too much has negative consequences. Durkheim says that society is based on people sharing common values which causes our actions. However during social change people look at their own interests instead of following social norms. This causes the crime rate to increase. Only by re-establishing the norms and values can these situations be brought back under control.