3. Subcultural Theories (3): Recent

Question 1

1. Messner and Rosenfield

Answer 1

• Messner and Rosenfeld: ‘institutional anomie theory’ focuses on the American Dream.

• Argue that obsession with money success exert pressures towards crime by encouraging an anomic cultural environment.
• Schools prepare pupils for labour market at expense of values such as respect…
• In societies based on free-market capitalism and inadequate welfare provision, high crime rates are inevitable.

Question 2

2. Downes and Hansen

Answer 2

• Downes and Hansen: offer evidence for this view

- Societies that spend more on welfare had lower rates of imprisonment.

Question 3

3. Salvesberg

Answer 3

• Salvesberg: applies strain theory to post-communist societies in Eastern Europe, which saw rapid rise in crime after 1989.
- This is due to collective values being replaced by ‘money success’ goals.

Question 4

Summary

Answer 4

1. Messner and Rosenfield
2. Downes and Hansen
3. Salvesberg