Functionalist perspective on crime

• What do Functionalists argue about crime?

  Crime is beneficial for society
• How can crime improve social integration?

  By uniting communities against crime
• What is necessary for social change according to Functionalists?

  Crime is necessary for social change
• What are Durkheim's three key ideas about crime?

  • Crime is inevitable
  • Crime performs positive functions
  • Too much crime is dysfunctional
• In which work did Durkheim develop his theory of crime?

  The Rules of Sociological Method
• Why does Durkheim believe crime is inevitable?

  Not all members share collective sentiments
• What happens in a 'society of saints' according to Durkheim?

  Even minor deviance is severely punished
• What is an example of a minor crime mentioned in the text?

  Fines for long grass in towns
• What are the three positive functions of crime according to Durkheim?

  1. Social regulation
  2. Social integration
  3. Social change
• How does crime perform social regulation?

  By reaffirming acceptable behavior boundaries
• What role do newspapers play in social regulation?

  They publicize criminal acts to society
• How does crime contribute to social integration?

  By uniting communities in outrage
• What does Durkheim say about the relationship between crime and social change?

  Deviance tests the boundaries of law
• How does deviance lead to social change?

  Yesterday's deviance becomes today's norm
• When does Durkheim consider crime to be dysfunctional?

  When there is too much or too little crime
• What is the function of punishment according to Durkheim?

  To control crime and maintain sentiments
• What does Merton's Strain Theory of Crime build upon?

  • Builds on Functionalism
  • Explains crime as a response to anomie
  • Addresses societal goals versus legitimate means
• Who argued that prostitution supports monogamous relationships?

  Kingsley Davis
• What did Ned Polksy claim about pornography?

  It serves a similar function as prostitution
• What educational role does deviance play according to Mary Douglas?

  It clarifies and manages social threats
• What is Talcott Parsons' view on crime?

  Crime can be dysfunctional and undermine order
• What are some criticisms of the Functionalist view of crime?

  • Fails to distinguish types of crime
  • Some crimes may always be dysfunctional
  • Not all criminals are punished equally
• What do Interactionists suggest about crime's functionality?

  It depends on individual relationships to crime
• What do Postmodernists argue about societal norms?

  Society is too diverse for universal norms
• What is a teleological aspect of Functionalist theory?

  It turns effects into causes
• What contemporary theories have Functionalist ideas?

  • Merton’s Anomie theory
  • Neo-Marxism
  • Media scapegoating of crime
• What is Durkheim's view on the necessity of crime?

  Crime is needed for societal balance
• What is the main focus of the Functionalist perspective on crime?

  Society as a whole, not individuals