Topic 3 - Functionalism

• Durkheim- positive aspects of crime

  • Crime is inevitable and necessary
  • Collective conscience whereby everyone has shared values that distinguish between the actions that are acceptable and those which are not
  • Reaffirms social boundaries through media coverage
• A. Cohen

  • Carrying out deviant acts can be functional for anti-school subcultures as it gives them status due to them inverting the traditional values of school
• Durkheim- negative aspects of crime

  • Too much crime can lead to anomie in which norms are suspended
  • In periods of social change the collective conscience is weakened and people start to look after their own selfish interests over social values
  • E.g. 2011 riots that escalated into arson and looting
• Durkheim is criticised by Marxists for assuming that there is value consensus, the bourgeoisie impose their values on the proletariat and their values are reflected in the criminal justice system as they have the power to create laws which benefit them. Fails to explain why anomie may occur and why people turn to crime.
• Merton's criticism of Durkheim

  • People commit crime due to the 'strain to anomie' between society's goals, such as the American Dream, and means of achieving them, like having the right skills, qualifications, and opportunities
  • Causes people to deviate from the norms and use illegitimate means
  • It is still functional as it provides a way for people who are more likely to be blocked from success a way of achieving their goals
• Merton's 5 adaptations of ways people respond to strain

  1. Conformity
  2. Innovations (criminal)
  3. Ritualism (deviant) - reject the goal of success
  4. Retreatism (deviant/criminal) - reject goal of success and use illegitimate means
  5. Rebellion (deviant/criminal) -reject goal of success and use illegitimate means to achieve an alternative
• Neo-Marxists criticise Merton for ignoring the role of wider power relations in society, such as how powerful groups like politicians have a strong influence on crime and are able to scapegoat groups.
• Hall et al's study argues that powerful groups scapegoated young black muggers to distract from wider social problems, like the 1970s recession. This critiques Merton's study for failing to recognise the importance of powerful groups.
• Subcultural theorists criticise Merton for suggesting that people commit crime as individuals. Young people join groups which have distinctive norms which are associated with crime.
• Albert Cohen argues that working class youth experience status frustration so choose to join subcultures in which they can achieve success in other ways. This critiques Merton's theory as he assumes people respond to the strain in five ways, none being joining a subculture.
• Cloward & Ohlin - illegitimate opportunity structures

  • Working class youth have less opportunity to succeed in the legitimate opportunity structure through education and careers to get money. More likely to have access to the parallel illegitimate opportunity structure through an illegal career
• Feminists criticise Functionalist explanations like Cloward and Ohlin's as they fail to explore female victimisation and how they are disadvantaged by the criminal justice system.
• Venkatesh - crime is functional

  • 'Outlaw capitalism' in gangs in which an alternative opportunity structure was available.
  • Working class, ethnic men had few opportunities - unemployment rate of 80% in that area
  • Joined gangs as it offered an income, daily work, fraternity, hierarchy, and promotion, just like a legitimate job.
  • Gang provided services to the estate where the government failed
• Venkatesh is criticised for ignoring the negatives of gang life and being to malestream, failing to consider the impact of crimes on the women involved. Harding argues that gangs are rarely functional for women who are kept low in the hierarchy and used solely for their sexual capital.