SOCIOLOGY - CRIME AND DEVIANCE

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FUNCTIONALIST EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME & DEVIANCE

Functionalism

Social Structure Theory

Consensus theory --> They believe there are shared norms and values

in society.

EMILE DURKHEIM proposed

key ideas of the functionalist theory on crime and deviance.

Crime and deviance are seen as inevitable, normal, and functional

parts of society – all societies – Crime is universal.

This is because not everyone can share all the

norms and values or the collective sentiments of society.

He argued that crime and deviance sustains

morality – It reaffirms/clarifies Boundaries – Boundary Maintenance.

It promotes solidarity

and he argues that it encouraged social change – Yesterday’s deviance becomes

tomorrow’s Norms – e.g. Homosexuality.

Crime and deviance only becomes dysfunctional if

there is too much or too little of it.

Anomie explains this – A sense of normlessness,

loneliness or isolation – The diversity of modern societies means that the

collective conscience is weakened, and this results in higher levels of

C&D.

He went on to talk about the role of punishment

in society.

He said that most of the time, behaviour is kept

in check by Formal Social Control.

However, if behaviour crosses the boundaries

into illegal acts then formal systems of punishment

are used.

Punishment performs essential functions for society:

RETRIBUTION

– Punishment inflicted for vengeance, heals wounds done to cultural

sentiments.

RESTITUTION

– focuses on individual damage and compensation.

ALBERT K. COHEN also contributed to the functionalist view of

crime, identifying two possible functions of crime.

SAFETY

VALVE – A harmless expression of discontent.

WARNING

– Crime shows when an aspect of society is malfunctioning.

TRAVIS HIRSCHI proposed a Social

Control Theory.

He wanted to know why people did not commit

crime and he found it was linked to control, and to levels of social

integration.

He found that people have four controls in their

life to prevent them from committing crime and deviance.

ATTACHMENT

– Family and relationships.

COMMITMENT

– People may lose a great deal.

INVOLVEMENT

– People would lose respect from communities.

BELIEF

– People have been brought up to respect rules, beliefs and others.

ROBERT MERTON proposed the Strain

Theory –-> can be used in subcultural theory.

He argued that there is a strain in society between the cultural Goals of a society (e.g. American Dream) and the ability to achieve

those goals through legitimate means.

He argued that there are those at the bottom of

the social ladder who find it the hardest to succeed and therefore they are the

ones who’re more likely to look for alternative routes to success. --> Could apply Material Deprivation and Cultural

Deprivation here.

He proposed 5 responses to strain.

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SUBCULTURAL EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME & DEVIANCE

SUBCULTURALISM

Deviance is the product of a

delinquent subculture. à

Have different norms/values from mainstream society.

Subcultures provide and

alternative route and status for those denied the chance to achieve legitimately.

There are a number of subcultural

theorists to explain C&D.

ALBERT K. COHEN – STATUS FRUSTRATION

Links to strain theory

Studied the ‘Corner Boys’ – a Working

Class delinquent subculture.

Frustrated with unachievable

Middle-Class norms and values. – Middle class measuring rod in education – A*-C

Economy.

Working class can’t achieve those

– Material and Cultural Deprivation.

As a consequence, they turn to

deviant subcultures to create alternative norms and values that they can

achieve.

PAUL WILLIS – ‘LEARNING TO LABOUR’

This supports Cohen’s Status

Frustration theory.

The ‘Lads’ knew the system was

against them and wanted to have fun as they filed therefore created a deviant subculture

with their own norms and values that contrasted with the ones of mainstream society.

MILLER’S 6 FOCAL CONCERNS OF

WORKING CLASS MALES

Working class male culture in

distinct.

Problematic

Potentially deviant.

6 focal points/concerns which aim

to assert masculinity.

Toughness --> can lead to fighting to

assert their toughness.

Similar to the NEW RIGHT/RIGHT

REALIST theory –that crime is caused by an UNDERCLASS with distinct norms and

values.

It could be argued that these are

the concerns of all Men. --> Hella relevant today --> the effects Toxic Masculinity are seen in all class strata. --> Suicide is the biggest

killer of men 45 and under.

Too deterministic- he talks about

the idea of how you're born into a subculture.

What about interaction with other

classes e.g. through school?

CLOWARD AND OHLIN’S 3 SUBCULTURES

– IL/LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURES.

CLOWARD AND OHLIN agree with

MERTON that working class youths face blocked opportunities.

But they note that not everyone

adapts to strain in the same way - e.g. some subcultures adopt violence or drug

use rather than utilitarian crime.

They argue that this is because

different individuals have access to different illegitimate opportunity structures.

Different neighbourhoods can

provide different illegitimate opportunities to learn criminal skills and

develop criminal careers.

CRIMINAL SUBCULTURES provide

youth with an apprenticeship in utilitarian crime. --> They arise in neighbourhoods

where there is an established criminal culture and an organised hierarchy of

'Professional Adult Crime. --> E.g. Mafia

CONFLICT SUBCULTURES arise in

areas of high population turnover that prevent development of a stable criminal

network. --> Illegitimate opportunities are

found through loosely organised gangs

where violence provides a release for frustration and an alternative means of

gaining status through winning 'turf wars'.

RETREATIST SUBCULTURES are formed

by those who fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunities structures. -->These 'Dropouts' from a

subculture based around illegal drug use. --> they commit crime to

fund this

Ignores White Collar Crime

committed by the rich. Too deterministic and over-predicts the extent of

working class crime. They ignore the wider power structure, including who makes

and enforces the law.

They provide an explanation for

different types of working-class deviance in terms of different subcultures. Boundaries

drawn too sharp. This theory suggests it would not be possible to belong to

more than one of these subcultures simultaneously e.g. some ‘retreatist’ users

are also drug dealers making a living from this utilitarian crime.

Strain Theories explain deviant

subcultures as forming in reaction to the failure to achieve mainstream goals. Assumes

that everyone starts off sharing the same mainstream success goal. They don’t.

MARXIST SUBCULTURAL THEORY –

CULTURES OF RESISTANCE

Working class subcultures emerge

when working class resist middle class culture --> Political Motive.

Working class subcultures are

attempting to shock and intimidate the ruling class/middle class à this leads them to

deviancy.

Subcultures take an everyday item

and turn it into a sign of resistance. --> E.g. Hoodies.

MATZA: 'DRIFT THEORY' AND

SUBTERRANEAN VALUES

Everyone has subterranean values

(bad temptations that we have the potential to do).

Matza is a critic. Matza states

that through subterranean values, individuals justify themselves:

Appeal to higher loyalties- e.g.

appeal to religion

Denial of responsibility- when

you refuse to take responsibility.

Denial of the victim- doesn't

deserve to be a victim.

Denial of injury- when you

justify yourself.

Condemnation of condemns-

condemning someone who is wrong e.g. serial killer.

DRIFT THEORY

Young people feel like they lack

control. They do not feel the constraining bonds of society.

At this stage, young people will

drift in and out of crime. They are susceptible to peer pressure.

It doesn't mean you have a

deviant career and settle into normal jobs and become less law abiding adults.

They conform to society’s

mainstream norms and values most of the time.

LEFT REALISM

Subcultural theories paint a

romantic view of the working class criminal as an Anti-Hero which justifies

their behaviour and disregards the devastating effect of their crimes on the

victim.

MUGGLETON – NEO TRIBES – POST-SUBCULTURAL

Subcultural theory focused

exclusively on working class youth and had an exclusive interest in the ‘spectacular

few’ who joined a subculture.

Most young people do not recognise

a divide between subcultures and conventional society.

Neo-tribes are groups less

concerned with deviant values but more concerned with creating and recreating

identity and individuality.

Subcultural theories are limited as an explanation of crime and deviance and ANOMIE may explain a larger proportion of crime.