Functionalism

• Why People Commit Crime:

  > Durkheim - a certain amount of crime has a positive effect on society and is a normal part of all societies

  > while crime does disrupt social stability, functionalists see it as inevitable and universal - there are two reasons why crime is always present:

  > not everyone is effectively socialised = deviance

  > there is diversity of lifestyles = different subcultures which are seen as deviant, and the shared culture is weakened which creates anomie
• Functions of Crime:

  > boundary maintenance

  > adaptation and change

  > safety valve

  > warning light
• Functions of Crime - Boundary Maintenance:

  > crime produces a reaction from society, which unites members in condemnation of the wrongdoer and reinforces commitment to the shared norms and values e.g. after the 2011 UK Riots, people came together to clean the streets

  > punishment also reaffirms society's shared rules and reinforces social solidarity e.g. through rituals of the courtroom, which publicly shames the offender

  > reaffirms the values of the law-abiding majority and discourages others from rule breaking
• Functions of Crime - Adaptation and Change:

  > Durkheim - all change starts with an act of deviance

  > individuals with new ideas and values must not be completely stifled by social control - there should be scope for them to challenge existing norms and values to bring about social change

  > society needs to adapt and change rather than stagnate

  > AO2 - Natasha's Law, Clare's Law, Suffragettes
• Functions of Crime - Safety Valve:

  > Davis - crime can release men's sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family, which can prevent disruptions that are more serious

  > Polsky - pornography safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives like adultery

  > AO2: prostitution
• Functions of Crime - Warning Light:

  > Cohen - deviance indicates when an institution is malfunctioning

  > informs society that a change needs to be made

  > AO2: high rates of truancy indicated that there was a problem with the education system, so the issue can be rectified e.g. fines for absences
• Strain Theory - Merton (1):

  > argues that crime and deviance is the result of strain between cultural goals and structural factors - people are deviant when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means

  > cultural goals - the strong emphasis on success achieved legitimately - the American Dream

  > structural factors - society's unequal opportunity structure
• Strain Theory - Merton (2):

  > 5 adaptions to strain:

  > conformity - accepting the goal and striving to achieve it by legitimate means

  > innovation - accepting the goal but using illegitimate means to achieve it (typical of those who lack legitimate opportunities)

  > ritualism - giving up on the goal, but the internalised legitimate means so follow the rules anyway

  > retreatism - rejecting both the goal and the means

  > rebellion - reject existing goals and means, but replace them with new ones
• Strain Theory - Cohen (1):

  > argues that deviance results from the lower classes' inability to achieve mainstream goals by legitimate means, such as education

  > criticises Merton for ignoring group deviance and non-utilitarian crime
• Strain Theory - Cohen (2):

  > WC boys face anomie in the MC education system - they are culturally deprived so cannot achieve, which leaves them at the bottom of the official status hierarchy = status frustration, which is resolved by rejecting MC values and forming a subculture - offers an illegitimate opportunity structure

  > provides an alternative status hierarchy where they can win status through delinquent acts
• Subcultural theory - Cloward and Ohlin (1):

  > agree that WC youths are denied legitimate opportunities and that their deviance is a response to this, but note that not everyone adapts by turning to innovation - some resort to violence or drug use

  > the reason for these differences is access to illegitimate opportunity structures - three different subcultures: professional criminal, conflict (gangs) and retreatist (dropout)
• Subcultural theory - Cloward and Ohlin (2):

  > professional criminal subcultures:

  > offer an apprenticeship in utilitarian crime

  > longstanding and stable criminal culture

  > hierarchy of professional adult crime

  > provides opportunities on the criminal career ladder
• Subcultural theory - Cloward and Ohlin (3):

  > conflict subcultures (gangs):

  > no stable criminal network

  > offer few illegitimate opportunities in loosely organised gangs

  > violence provides a release for blocked opportunities

  > alternative status earned through winning 'turf'
• Subcultural theory - Cloward and Ohlin (4):

  > retreatist subcultures (dropouts):

  > not everyone who aspires to be a professional criminal or gang leader succeeds

  > double failures - fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures

  > turn into a retreatist subculture based on illegal drug use