functionalism, strain and subcultures

• Durkheim


  crime is inevitable and positive
• crime is inevitable


  'crime is normal... and integral part of all healthy societies'

  society cannot exist without crime because not everyone is effectively socialised and due to inequality
• crime is positive


  Durkheim states crime has positive functions such as:

  1. boundary maintenance
  2. adaption and change
• Boundary Maintenance


  • crime creates a reaction from society, uniting its members creating social solidarity and reinforcing commitment to shared norms and values
  • acts as a warning device for those who break societal norms
• adaptation and change


  Acts of 'deviance', new ideas and ways of living can help improve society, e.g. gay rights eventually lead to gay marriage legislation

  • too much crime threatens bonds of society
  • too little means society is controlling its members too much
• functionalists of crime

  1. Durkheim
  2. davis
  3. polsky
  4. Erickson
• davis


  Prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men's sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family
• polsky


  argues that pornography safely 'channels' a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery
• Erikson


  developed durkheims idea of inevitability

  argues society tries to promote deviance

  e.g police sustain certain level of crime rather than get rid of this
• merton - strain theory 


  functionalist

  people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve goals through legitimate means
• merton adaptation to strain


  1) conformity

  2) ritualism

  3)innovation

  4)retreatism

  5) rebellion
• conformists


  accept the goals of the society and the means of achieving those goals
• innovators


  accept goals however reject legitimate means of achieving these

  e.g drug dealer
• ritualists


  individuals who have given up hope of achieving society's approved goals but still operate according to society's approved means

  e.g accept their 9-5 jobs
• retreatism


  reject both means and goals

  e.g drug addicts, homeless
• rebellions


  people who form new goals and means to create a new society

  e.g politcal radical, hippies
• american dream


  -An American ideal of a happy, successful life, which often includes wealth, a house, a better life for one's children

  - expected to pursue goal through legitimate means, through meritocracy

  - lack of legitimate opportunities causes frustration leading to crime (the strain to anomie)
• Cohen - status frustration


  • argued idea of status frustration amongst w/c boys
  • face difficulties in m/c dominated school system
  • as a result of being unable to achieve status by legitimate means they suffer status frustration
  • the resolve status by forming delinquent subculture
• cloward and Ohlin


  -agree with merton strain theory

  -developed 3 subcultures : criminal, conflict, retreatist

  -different neighbourhoods provide different illegitimate opportunities for young people
• criminal subcultures


  cloward and ohlin

  provide youth with an apprenticeship for career in utilitarian crime

  arise in stable criminal areas

  professional crime gangs e.g mafia
• conflict subcultures


  cloward and Ohlin

  arise in areas of high population turnover, leading to unstable professional criminal network

  leads to loosely organised gangs

  e.g postcode wars
• retreatist subculture


  cloward and Ohlin

  individuals who fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures

  e.g drug addicts
• miller


  focal concerns

  suggested wc boys fall into a number of different values that all together meant they're more likely to engage in deviant behaviour

  concern were: excitement, toughness, smartness, trouble, autonomy, fate
• matza


  drift theory

  individuals drift in and out of delinquency- not strongly committed to their subculture