3. Subultural Theories Of Crime And Deviance

Question 1

What are most subcultural theorists?

Answer 1

Functionalists

Question 2

What was Cohen’s theory?

Answer 2

Status frustration

Question 3

Cohen’s status frustration

Answer 3

-Young people who cannot succeed legitimately experience status frustration
-WC youths road to success is blocked
-Stuck at bottom of social structure, lack opportunity, feel invisible
-They feel denied a status, joining delinquent subcultures where being good at crime gains status and respect.

Question 4

Cohen’s Status frustration: What values do delinquent subcultures exhibit?

Answer 4

-Reversal of accepted forms of behaviour
-Revenge for being denied a status in society

Question 5

Cohen’s Status frustration: What does being denied a status in society lead to?

Answer 5

-Frustration at life
-Form/joining a delinquent subculture
-Resulting in crime and deviance

Question 6

What was Cloward and Ohlin’s theory?

Answer 6

Subcultural opportunities

Question 7

Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural opportunities

Answer 7

-Working class youths face blocked opportunities but how young people repsond based on their neighbourhood and opportunities to join a subculture.
-Not only do people have different legitimate life chances they also have different deviant life chances.

Question 8

Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural opportunities: What were the three subcultures they identitified?

Answer 8

1. Criminal subculture
2. Conflict subculture
3. Retreatist subculture

Question 9

Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural opportunities: Describe Criminal subculture

Answer 9

-Exist in stable WC communities where theres already an established pattern of adult crime.
-Provides an alternate career path with training opportunities
-Characterised by utilitarian crime eg theft
-Adult criminals have high expectations and maintain social control

Question 10

Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural opportunities: Describe conflict subcultures

Answer 10

-Arise in disorganised areas lacking social cohesion
-High population turnover prevents formation of stable criminal networks
-Characterised by violence, gang warfare, mugging

Question 11

Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural opportunities: Describe Retreatist subcultures

Answer 11

-‘Double fail’ lack of success in society and criminal subcultures
-Response is to retreat into addiction funded by petty theft and shop lifting

Question 12

What was Miller’s theory?

Answer 12

Focal Concerns

Question 13

Miller’s focal concerns

Answer 13

-Working class male subculture has existed for centuries revolving around specific characteristics, focal concerns
-These alternate views carry a risk of lawbreaking, conformity to the lower WC subculture that leads to delinquency.

Question 14

Miller’s focal concerns: What are the 5 focal concerns

Answer 14

1. Excitement and thrills
2. Toughness
3. Smartness
4. Autonomy and freedom
5. Trouble

Question 15

What are matza’s conventional values?

Answer 15

Behaviour control are in place at school, work etc

Question 16

What are Matza’s subterranean values?

Answer 16

Values of sexuality, greed, aggression which have a rightful place and are controlled elsewhere.

Question 17

According to Matza what are delinquents more likely to behave according to?

Answer 17

-Subterranean values in inappropriate situations or ways.
-Delinquents justify their crimes, convincing themselves the law doesn’t apply to them
-They use techniques of neutralisation to justify their crimes

Question 18

Matza: What are the 5 techniques of neutralisation?

Answer 18

1. Denial of responsibility
2. Denial of the victims
3. Denial of harm
4. Condemnation of condemners
5. Appeal to higher loyalties

Question 19

Evaluating Subcultural Theories: What’s good?

Answer 19

-Builds on Merton showing young people in groups become deviant which is ignored
-Marginalised young people do claim to feel invisible
-Left realist criminologists find subcultural theories very useful building on them to create their own theory

Question 20

Evaluating Subcultural Theories: Criticisms

Answer 20

-Matza = delinquents not really different to anyone else they just don’t control their subterranean urges well.
-These theories give an explanation but don’t tackle underlying structural inequalities
-Ignore white collar crime and state crime. Only useful for gang based street crime