Subcultural Strain Theories of Crime and Deviance

• They perceives subcultures as providing an alternative opportunity structure for those who are denied to achieve goals by legitimate means
• Cohen agrees with Merton that deviance is largely a lower-class phenomenon
• Cohen criticises Merton for two reasons;

  • Deviance is typically committed in groups
  • Focusses on utilitarian 'money' crime and ignores crime like vandalism
• Cohen believes deviance among working-class boys goes through steps;

  • Cultural Deprivation
  • Lack Social Status
  • Status Frustration
  • Join a subculture which Inverts Mainstream Values
• However, Cohen assumes that working class boys start off by sharing the same goals as the middle class and only reject them once they are unable to achieve them
• Cloward and Ohlin agree with Merton and Cohen that working-class youths are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve 'money success'
• Cloward and Ohlin says that different subcultures respond differently to the lack of legitimate opportunities
• Cloward and Ohlin explain this difference in subculture response is because not everyone has equal access to illegitimate opportunity structures
• Cloward and Ohlin say there is 3 subculture responses;

  • Criminal Subculture
  • Conflict Subculture
  • Retreatist Subculture
• Conflict subculture means crime is committed for status and respect, mainly among gang for young people
• Criminal Subculture is focusses on organised crime for money and includes 'career criminals'
• Retreatists Subculture drop out altogether and use substances to cope with the lack of opportunities