functionalism and crime

• Crime


  An act against the law, they can change due to them being socially constructed
• Deviant


  a person who breaks social norms and values
• Normative Approach


  Presents an image of society which has shared norms and values
• What Functionalism Provides


  A normative definition of crime and deviance
• Fundamentals To Functionalist Philosophy

  Society is underpinned by a consensus
• Consensus


  General agreement of the norms and values
• Social Deprivation


  Inadequately Socialised
• Durkheim says


  Society shares a set of core values
• Arresting Rule Breakers ...


  Affirms boundaries of acceptable behaviour
• Social Cohesion


  People forming bonds and uniting, reaffirming values
• Safety Valve


  Acts as a safety valve and prevents bigger crimes
• Kingsley Davis


  Prostitution stabilises marriage as men's sexual desires are met
• Cohen


  Crime boosts employment and the economy
• Acts as an early warning system showing society what's going wrong


  Cohen
• Collective Conscience


  Set of shared beliefs to be reinforced in society
• Positive Of Functionalist Ideas


  It offers a social explanation for crime> Biological/Psychologically Determined
• How Much Crime Is Functional For Society

  A Critique
• Just Because Crime Does This


  Doesn't mean it's why it exists
• Safety Valve Critique


  Feminists question who this is functional for
• Crime Is a Warning Device Critique


  It can make them feel isolated and they can also gain the label "folk devil"
• Folk Devil


  Person portrayed as an outsider/deviant
• Right Wing Critique


  Crime can cause stress and harm to community cohesion is it's left unchecked law and order can break down
• Right Wing Sociologists


  Wilson + Kelling
• Left Wing Sociologists


  Lea + Young
• Left Wing Critique


  Crime can cause real problems for victims especially those already disadvantaged
• When Does Anomie Occur

  During times of revolution/social change
• Anomie


  Old norms and values are challenged BUT new norms not in place yet
• When Does Egoism Occur


  When collective conscience is too weak to restrain selfish desires of individuals
• Egoism


  When people pursue their own selfish desires instead of putting interests of society as a whole first
• Egoism Won't Occur If...

  Unless people are successfully socialised into the collective conscience by institutions
• Durkheim Answer To Egoism

  Strengthen the collective conscience by teaching moral values in education
• Merton Vs Anomie


  Concept of anomie was too vague
• Durkheim Ignores


  Ignores social differences, differences which make certain individuals more prone to crime
• Marxists Critique


  It ignores crime of the powerful and doesn't recognise the relationship between crime and power
• Cohen status frustration theory

  much offending behaviour was not economically motivated and didn't fit Merton's idea
• Non Utilitarian Crime


  Crime committed without any obvious benefit to offenders
• Most delinquent behaviour was group activity


  Merton didn't explain why crimes often took place in groups/gangs
• Merton negative evaluation


  Assumes common goals in society

  overestimates working class crime underestimates middle and upper class crime

  fails to explain non utilitarian crime

  fails to explain individuals crime
• Merton positive evaluation


  work has been influential used by sociologists to explain modern crime

  emphasises a social dimension to crime

  avoids biological and psychological theories
• School is the main area for delinquent behaviour


  lower class children invert traditional middle class values by behaving badly and engaging in a variety of anti social behaviours