CRIME AND DEVIANCE - 2) Functionalism --> Cloward and Ohlin, Albert Cohen, Miller and Matza

Question 1

Which sociologists study Legitimate and Illegitimate Opportunity Structures!

Answer 1

Cloward and Ohlin!

Question 2

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) Give examples of the Legitimate Opportunity Structure! HINT: There are 4 here!

Answer 2

• Going to school
• Getting qualifications
• Getting a job
• Earning rewards, such as a house and a car and living happily

Question 3

(CLOWARD AND OHLIN) List some of the barriers that can / are in place that can prevent people from accessing a Legitimate Opportunity Structure? HINT: There are 7 here!

Answer 3

• Mental and other illnesses
• Learning disabilities
• WISE = Working-class subcultures, Parental Interest, Speech Codes and Parental Education and Attitudes
• Material deprivation - Housing
• Fatalistic attitudes
• Labelling –> Ideas regarding the Ideal Pupil
• Job availability and Employment opportunities

Question 4

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) Give examples of the Illegitimate Opportunity Structure! HINT: There are 4 here!

Answer 4

• Laddish subculture / truancy = Not abiding by the rules, deviating and not going to school!
• Not being able to achieve qualifications; being trained up by other members of the gang / criminal organisation!
• Being part of the mafia and having huge financial gain
• Living a happy life through criminal means!

Question 5

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) What are the 3 subcultures that they identified responses to Opportunity Structures?

Answer 5

• Criminal Subculture
• Conflict Subculture
• Retreatist Subculture

Question 6

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) Outline what a Criminal Subculture is.

Answer 6

Organised crime - The mafia = This is where career criminals can socialise youths into their own criminal career that might result in material success!

Question 7

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) Outline what a Conflict Subculture is.

Answer 7

Gangs organised by young people themselves, often based on claiming territory from other gangs in so-called ‘turf wars’.

Question 8

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) Outline what a Retreatist Subculture is.

Answer 8

Those who are unable to access either Legitimate or Illegitimate Opportunity Structures; these people might drop out altogether, but might do so as a group rather than individually –> These groups might abuse drugs and alcohol too!

Question 9

(CLOWARD + OHLIN) Explain the journey to the Illegitimate Way.

Answer 9

1 - Academic underachievement and failure

2 - Status can never be gained in the mainstream / a legal way

3 - The formation of gangs or subcultures

4 - Poor attendance to school

5 - A low value placed on education

6 - The formation of alternative norms and values that are different to the mainstream ones

7 - Behaving in this way in order to gain alternative status

Question 10

What are the evaluating points for Cloward and Ohlin’s study of Legitimate and Illegitimate Opportunity Structures? HINT: There are 3 points here (with explanations / examples)!

Answer 10

Not very easy to differentiate the 3 subcultures in society!

• Most criminal gangs have a mix between the 3 subcultures –> EG: Drug use is often affiliated with criminal gangs, whilst ‘turf wars’ can be linked to organised crime and drug dealing!

It doesn’t tackle the root cause as to why people are denied legitimate opportunities

• Cloward and Ohlin mainly write about working-class boys; they do not look into gender or ethnicity
• They need to look into class, gender and ethnicity as major factors! They also do not question why working-class youths are generally denied access to Legitimate Opportunity Structures more frequently than anyone else!

Cloward and Ohlin do not explain female crime

• They do not explain why girls (who may also be denied access to these Structures) do not react the same way boys do!

Question 11

What sociologist looks into Status Frustration and Delinquent Subcultures?

Answer 11

Albert Cohen!

Question 12

(A. COHEN) What are the factors that might limit a student’s ability to achieve in the education system? HINT: There are 5 factors here!

Answer 12

• Low parental engagement
• Poor parental literacy
• Dysfunctional family dynamics
• Material deprivation
• WISE = Working-class, subcultures, Parental Interest in Education, Speech Codes and Parents’ Education and Attitudes

Question 13

(A. COHEN) Whose Theory did Cohen set out to develop? HINT: STRAIN!

Answer 13

Merton and his ‘Strain Theory’!

Question 14

(A. COHEN) Which group in society did Cohen’s study look at / into?

Answer 14

Young, working-class boys who said that, because they have failed at school, they will be unable to get good jobs or be economically successful in the long-term!

Question 15

(A. COHEN) What is Status Frustration?

Answer 15

When students realise that they can never compete on a level-playing field and this is frustrating (there is no equality of opportunity, like Functionalists say)!

These individuals realise that they will never be able to achieve status by Legitimate Means (such as Education) –> These people suffer from cultural deprivation and their inability to succeed in this ‘middle-class created’ world leaves them at the bottom of the hierarchy!

These individuals reject the values of hard work, success and compliance, and replace them with values they can achieve (often linking to deviancy)!

Question 16

(A. COHEN) What did Cohen say would happen to individuals who all experienced Status Frustration? HINT: Join together to create…WHAT?

Answer 16

Cohen said that like-minded individuals would band together to form ‘Delinquent Subcultures’.

Question 17

(A. COHEN) What type of crimes can Cohen’s theory help to explain in society? HINT: Crimes that are NOT committed for material gain!

Answer 17

Non-Utilitarian Crimes!

Question 18

(A. COHEN) What is the definition of Non-Utilitarian Crime?

Answer 18

These are crimes that are NOT committed for material gain, such as vandalism, loitering and joyriding. Even though these don’t lead to material gain, it may lead to an increase / a gain in status!

Question 19

(A. COHEN) What is the definition of Utilitarian Crime?

Answer 19

These are crimes that ARE committed for material gain, such as stealing and fraud!

AKA - Monetary Crime!

Question 20

(A. COHEN) What does Cohen say that Non-Utilitarian Crime does for working-class youths?

Answer 20

He says that, by committing these crimes, the working-class youths can deal with their status frustration by having an outlet; it also helps them to gain status within their delinquent subcultures!

Question 21

What are the evaluation points for Cohen?

Answer 21

He develops Merton’s Strain Theory

• He develops the Strain Theory and provides an explanation for why non-utilitarian crimes are committed

A Consensus within the group - Doesn’t this defeat the whole point of why the retreated from society in the first place?

• Postmodernist sociologists (such as Lyng and Katz) argue that it is more likely that the individual is influenced by boredom or by seeking a ‘buzz’. However, it could be countered that delinquents maybe conscious and aware of how deviant acts might provide an access to rewards and a higher status within their group –> This creates norms and values and a consensus within their group!

Cohen does not address why ONLY working-class boys form these groups

• If the reason for deviance is frustration at a low status, many feminists would suggest that, in 1950s America, you would have expected girls to be the ones forming these deviant subcultures!

Question 22

What sociologist looked into Focal Concerns?

Answer 22

Walter Miller

Question 23

(MILLER) Explain his research into ‘Focal Concerns’.

Answer 23

He suggested that working-class boys were socialised into a number of distinct values.

Miller said that these valves meant that the boys were more likely than others to engage in delinquent or deviant behaviour!

Miller described these values as ‘focal concerns’ - These are values which can lead to greater deviance and/or criminality!

Question 24

(MILLER) What is the definition of ‘Focal Concerns’?

Answer 24

Values which can lead to greater deviance and/or criminality!

Question 25

(MILLER) What are the 6 ‘Focal Concerns’ that Miller identified?

Answer 25

• Excitement
• Toughness
• Smartness
• Trouble
• Autonomy
• Fate

Question 26

(MILLER) Explain the Excitement ‘Focal Concern’.

Answer 26

Working-class boys seek out EXCITEMENT (particularly when they are not at work).

Question 27

(MILLER) Explain the Toughness ‘Focal Concern’.

Answer 27

Working-class boys want to prove that they are ‘TOUGH/HARD’.

Question 28

(MILLER) Explain the Smartness ‘Focal Concern’.

Answer 28

They use WIT (which might include ‘SMART’ REMARKS)!

Question 29

(MILLER) Explain the Trouble ‘Focal Concern’.

Answer 29

This is linked to EXCITEMENT and TOUGHNESS; working-class boys might well find themselves in TROUBLE!

Question 30

(MILLER) Explain the Autonomy ‘Focal Concern’.

Answer 30

Working-class boys wish to be INDEPENDENT and NOT RELIANT on OTHERS!

Question 31

(MILLER) Explain the Fate ‘Focal Concern’.

Answer 31

Working-class boys believe that their FUTURE is ALREADY DECIDED; what they do WON’T INFLUENCE THE FUTURE!

Question 32

(MILLER) What type of crime might the Excitement ‘Focal Concern’ lead to?

Answer 32

Non-utilitarian crime, such as graffiti –> This links to trouble as well!

Question 33

(MILLER) What might Toughness and Smartness lead to?

Answer 33

Physical fight!

Question 34

(MILLER) Explain the impact of ‘Fatalism’!

Answer 34

This may mean that working-class boys do not consider the consequences of their actions as they believe that the future is already written for them!

Question 35

(MILLER) What are the evaluating points for Miller? HINT: There is 1 positive point and 3 negative points here!

Answer 35

• This examples explains why young, working-class males commit crimes on the idea that they are socialised into a particular set of norms and values! –> Explains why the crime rate is higher amongst working-class people opposed to the other classes.
• How can Miller be a Functionalist and believe in social solidarity, whilst he just assumes that the ‘lower classes’ have different and unique norms and values from the ‘upper classes’? = CONTRADICTING FUNCTIONALIST VIEWS!
• Miller just talks about boys –> He DOESN’T CONSIDER GENDER! - Some Feminist critics have pointed out that these ‘Focal Concerns’ might just be masculine values, rather than ‘lower class’ ones!
• DAVID MATZA - He says that perhaps we all share ‘deviant values’. but we learn NOT TO ACT ON THEM! Also, some working-class boys can be socialised with these ‘Focal Concerns’ and not be deviants in the future!

Question 36

What sociologist studied Subterranean Values and ‘Drift?

Answer 36

David Matza

Question 37

(MATZA) What values does Matza say that everyone shares, but some people (most of the time) can suppress them?

Answer 37

Delinquent values - He says that for most of us, most of the time, it is easy to keep these values suppressed and hidden; this means there is less of a risk and less chance of receiving a punishment.

Question 38

(MATZA) Why does he say that more young people commit crimes? HINT: Suppressing values!

Answer 38

He says that young people commit crimes as they are less able to suppress their values and they haven’t learnt how to do so!

Question 39

(MATZA) Explain the ‘drift’!

Answer 39

This means that people are neither conformist nor deviant; instead, people are able to ‘DRIFT’ between both throughout their life!

Question 40

(MATZA) What does Matza suggest that the proof for the existence of subterranean (‘underground’) values comes from?

Answer 40

He said that it comes from the fact that people seek to ‘neutralise’ their deviant acts / not be labelled as a deviant!

If people really have different sets of values when they behave deviantly, they would just believe that this behaviour was appropriate and normal for society!

He says that people quickly try and seek ways to justify their behaviour or ‘fix themsleves’ in order to fit in with mainstream values!

Question 41

(MATZA) What are the ‘Techniques of Neutralisation’?

Answer 41

He says that people must understand and share their subterranean values - He says that people use a number of ‘Techniques of Neutralisation’ to explain their behaviour / push the responsibility for their deviancy off themselves!

Question 42

(MATZA) What are the 5 ‘Techniques of Neutralisation’ that Matza identified?

Answer 42

• Denial of Responsibility
• Denial of Injury
• Denial of the Victim
• Condemnation of the Condemners
• Appeal to Higher Loyalties

Question 43

(MATZA) Give an example of the ‘Technique of Neutralisation’ for the Denial of Responsibility!

Answer 43

“It wasn’t me” / “It wasn’t my fault”!

Question 44

(MATZA) Give an example of the ‘Technique of Neutralisation’ for the Denial of Injury!

Answer 44

“It didn’t hurt” / “They have insurance; it’s fine”!

Question 45

(MATZA) Give an example of the ‘Technique of Neutralisation’ for the Denial of the Victim!

Answer 45

“You deserved it” / “What did you expect?”

Question 46

(MATZA) Give an example of the ‘Technique of Neutralisation’ for the Condemnation of the Condemners

Answer 46

“You’re just as bad” / “You’re only blaming me because…”!

Question 47

(MATZA) Give an example of the ‘Technique of Neutralisation’ for the Appeal to Higher Loyalties.

Answer 47

“I had to help my friends/family” / “I did it for my country/race/religion”!

Question 48

(MATZA) What are the evaluating points for Matza? HINT: There is one positive point and 2 negative points!

Answer 48

• Matza is correct that many people may be delinquents when they are young and then go on to lead respectable lives as adults (such as bank managers or politicians - The Bullingdon Club) –> They are socialised into the value consensus!

‘Techniques of Neutralisation’ are just excuses:

• Individuals could simply use these to avoid punishment, rather than to ‘drift’ back into mainstream values

Some of the ‘Techniques of Neutralisation’ may just be deviant values:

• The belief that victims are partly responsible for their victimhood, or that higher loyalties justify crimes, might be examples of the deviant norms and values of criminal subcultures.
• Victims are, once again, alienated and excluded!