crime functionalism

• • Believe society is based on a value consensus. The more someones behaviour differs from these values, the more likely they are to be viewed as deviant
  • Recognise crime is inevitable:
  • Durkheim builds on this, stating crime has both positive and negative functions in society.
• Durkheim 3 functions:

  1. Boundary maintenance: crime produces a reaction from society uniting its members in condemning the wrongdoer, reaffirming the collective conscience. EG: in a courtroom the public shame & stigmatisation reaffirms the values of the law abiding majority and discourages others from law breaking
• Durkheim functions:

  2. Changes values: sometimes the individuals/groups that defy laws believe that they are wrong. Sometimes these groups are functional to society as they help change the collective conscience, producing changes that'll help society perform more effectively EG nelson mandela, who helped overturn the racist system in south africa
• Durkheim functions:

  3. social cohesion. communities are drawn together when horrific crimes have been committed

  EG following the recent post office scandal. Public coming together in after events of colin Pitchfork
• Cohen built on Durkheim's positive functions, outlining that crime acts as a 'safety valve'. crime can be functional as minor criminality and deviance can be used to prevent other crimes/ society breaking down.

  EG The institution of marriage is stablised by married men using the service of sex workers.
• Another positive function of crime:

  Boosts employment and the economy by creating jobs. EG police officers, prison guards ect
• Left realists criticism:

  The idea that crime benefits society is harmful as crime can cause real problems for victims, especially ones that are already disadvantaged
• Durkheim: Negative functions of crime

  • Anomie occurs in periods of great social change and the collective conscience becomes unclear. There is uncertainty over what behaviour is acceptable.
  • Egoism occurs when the collective conscience becomes to weak to restrain the selfish desires of people.

  When these become excessive, crime rates become excessive, preventing the healthy functioning of society.

  Marxists: Durkhiem fails to consider where the consensus comes from & whos interests it serves (capitalism)
• merton: strain theory. Builds on anomie but focuses on individuals rather than groups.

  Deviance occurs when the gap between socially acceptable goals and the means to achieve them becomes too great, causing strain. Merton noticed that the prominent 'american dream' was wealth and power, and claimed that even the poorest could reach the highest levels of society if they worked hard enough. However, the higher classes had more opportunity to succeed. This caused anomie, leading to individuals to seek out alternatives - deviancy.
• Criticisms of mertons strain theory:

  • Marxism: ignores the power of the ruling class that enforce laws in ways that criminalise the poor but not the rich
  • Fails to explain non utilitarian crimes/ crimes without material gain, such as violence and vandalism
• Cohen: status frustration. agrees with merton that deviancy is a largely lower class phenomenon.

  Lower class boys strive to emulate middle class values & aspirations, but they suffer from cultural deprivation and lack the skills to achieve - leaving them unable to gain status through exams & qualifications. Because they cant gain status through legitimate means, they suffer from status frustration & seek to gain status in other ways. such as forming/joining a deviant subculture which commit crime

  +offeres a non utilitarian explanation

  -androcentric, females may have dif causes .