4. Subcultural Theories (2): Cloward and Ohlin Flashcards
1
Q
- Similarities / Differences with Merton
A
- Agree with Merton that WC youths are denied legitimate opportunities to achieve money success and deviance stems from way they respond
- Cloward and Ohlin: not everyone in this situation adapts to it by turning to ‘innovation’ – utilitarian crimes such as theft.
- Different subcultures respond in different ways.
- They identify different responses occur not just because of unequal access to the legitimate opportunity structure, but the illegitimate opportunity structure.
2
Q
- Three Subcultures
A
- Criminal Subcultures: provide youths with an apprenticeship for a career in utiliraeian crime.
- They arise in neighbourhoods with a stable criminal culture with an established hierarchy of professional crime.
- This provides youths with adults that act as role models and provide training with opportunities for employment on a criminal career ladder. - Conflict Subcultures: high levels of social disorganisation prevents a stable professional criminal network developing.
- Only illegitimate opportunities available are in loosely organised gangs.
- In these, violence provides a release for young men’s frustration at their blocked opportunities as well as an alternative source of status. - Retreatist Subcultures: Not everyone who aspired to be a professional criminal / gang leader actually succeeds.
- The ‘double failures’ (fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures) resort to illegal drug use.
3
Q
- Evaluation
A
Strengths:
- Provides an explanation for different types of WC deviance
Weaknesses:
- Ignore crimes of the wealthy and over-predicts crime of WC
- South: found that the drug industry had elements of ‘disorganised’ crime and professional crime (many ‘retreatist’ users are also dealers)
- Matza: most delinquents are not strongly committed to their subculture, but drift in and out of delinquency.
4
Q
Summary
A
- Similarities / Differences with Merton
- Three Subcultures
- Evaluation
