Functionalism and Crime

• In a nutshell

  Functionalists believe that crime is inevitable in society; poor socialisation and inequality result in the absence of norms and values being taught. In addition, functionalists believe crime is positive for society because it allows boundary maintenance, and allows a scope for adaptation and change.
• Durkhiem - Crime is inevitable


  Poor socialisation results in not everyone being taught the same norms and values.The inevitability of crime stems from the inequality that exists in society
• Durkhiem - Crime is positive


  'Boundary maintenance' is the concept that crime is functional in society when there is the right amount. When people are punished for committing crimes, it teaches the rest of society not to go against norms and values, in turn strengthening boundaries and preventing further crime.
• Durkhiem - Adaptation and change


  Some crime can be functional for society because it allows social adaptation and change; this means that for society to have norms and values that change as a form of rationalism, a criminal act must take place.
• Davis and Durkheim

  Davis agrees with Durkheim in that crime can be positive, but in a different way. He believes prostitution provides positive functions because it allows men to express sexual frustration without threatening the nuclear family.
• Merton - Strain Thoery


  Merton's 'strain theory' states that crime is caused by the failure to achieve the American dream through legitimate means. In his theory there are five different responses this failure:

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  Conformism - accepting the goals and legitimate means to achieve them

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  Innovation - subscribe to the goals of the American dream but use illegitimate means to achieve them

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  Ritualism - reject the goals but conform to the means

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  Retreatism - reject both the goals of the American dream and subscribe to illegitimate means

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  Rebellion - replace the goals and means with their own
• Cohen - Status Frustration


  Cohen's 'status frustration' theory focuses on working-class boys in schools who fail to succeed in middle-class environments, and in turn, form delinquent subcultures that go against middle-class norms and values. Subsequently, working-class boys try to succeed within subcultures by trying to rise in the hierarchy, which they have more chance of succeeding in. This explains why people commit non-utilitarian crimes.
• Cloward & Ohlin - 3 subcultures


  Cloward and Ohlin develop Cohen’s status frustration theory by suggesting 3 types of subcultures:

  ​Criminal subcultures provide ‘apprenticeships’ for utilitarian crime. They exist in areas with stable criminal cultures, with hierarchies of professional criminals (drug dealers).

  ​Conflict subcultures exist in areas of high population turnover. There is social disorganisation and loosely organised gangs (postcode/turf wars)

  ​Retreatist subcultures are formed of people who fail in both legitimate AND illegitimate means and may turn to illegal drug use ('junkies’)
• Talcott Parsons (1951)


   is an exception to all the other theorists. He admitted that crime could be dysfunctional and undermined the social order. 
• Evaluation of the Functionalist View of Crime 1

  Durkheim talks about crime in very general terms. He theorises that ‘crime’ is necessary and even functional but fails to distinguish between different types of crime. It could be that some crimes may be so harmful that they will always be dysfunctional rather than functional.
• Evaluation of the Functionalist View of Crime 2

  Functionalists suggest that the criminal justice system benefits everyone in society by punishing criminals and reinforcing the acceptable boundaries of behaviour. However, Marxist and Feminist analysis of crime demonstrates that not all criminals are punished equally and thus crime and punishment benefit the powerful for than the powerless
• Evaluation of the Functionalist View of Crime 3

  Interactionists would suggest that whether or not a crime is functional cannot be determined objectively; surely it depends on an individual’s relationship to the crime.

  Functionalists assume that society has universal norms and values that are reinforced by certain crimes being punished in public. Postmodernists argue society is so diverse, there is no such thing as ‘normal’.
• Evaluations of the Functionalist View of Crime 4

  The Functionalist theory of crime is teleological. It operates a reverse logic by turning effects into causes. I.e. in reality the cause of crime is the dysfunctional system. However in functionalist theory crime becomes the necessary cause which makes a system functional. This really makes no sense!