2.3.2.7 - Durkeim

• Durkheim is the first theory to realise that crime can have positive functions for society
• Durkheim said that crime can cause social change
• A strength of Durkheim is that there is a general consensus about the values and norms in society by the majority
• Durkheim claims that society requires a certain amount of deviance to function but offers no way of knowing how much deviance is the right amount
• Functionalism fails to explain why crime happens in the first place, only gives the functions it serves
• Some crimes have no beneficial functions in society like child or domestic abuse