Crime and Deviance: Functionalist explanation of crime:

Question 1

What do functionalists argue the 4 positive effects of crime are?

Answer 1

1. Strengthens collective values.
2. Enables social change: some crime is intended to allow new ideas to develop, and to enable social change and progress.
3. Acts as a ‘safety valve’.
4. Acting as a warning device.

Question 2

How many people were arrested in the London Riots in 2011?

Answer 2

2,000.

Question 3

What function might arrests serve?

Answer 3

• Reinforcing the social values.
• Coming back to the value consensus.
• Strengthening values.

Question 4

What did Durkheim argue about crime?

Answer 4

Durkheim argued that crime is inevitable, normal and necessary of social life. “Crime is an integral part of all healthy society”.

Question 5

Define the concept ‘Society of Saints’: How would it influence deviance:

Answer 5

‘Society of Saints’ explains a society where everyone’s behaviour is perfect.
If this is the case even the smallest acts of deviance would stand out e.g. nose rings in Uckfield College.

Question 6

In what way could Durkheim’s perception of crime could be seen as rose-tinted?

Answer 6

Because some crime does not have a positive effect.
For example domestic violence goes largely unreported so cannot initiate huge scale change and only has bad effects for the individual.

Question 7

Define boundary maintenance:

Answer 7

Crime shows society the clear differences between right and wrong.

Question 8

State the limitations of Durkheim’s theory:

Answer 8

• Crime no longer has economic benefit.
• Ignores social cost of crime.
• He doesn’t consider individualistic explanations. Over simplifies the consensus building that Postmodernism does understand (AO3).
• Doesn’t identity the cause and effect of crime or the correlation to the vale consensus.

Question 9

Explain the basis of Merton’s strain theory:

Answer 9

Some people are locked out of meritocracy and so cannot achieve the western ideals if the American dream or ideology of consumerism. This causes strain and so people must adapt or commit crime in order to meet this. He argues crime is a byproduct of the value consensus.

Question 10

Explain the visuals of Merton’s strain theory (the four groups):

Answer 10

1. Retreatists.
2. Conformists.
3. Ritualists.
4. Innovators.
5. Rebellions.

Question 11

Can strain theory example group deviance?

Answer 11

Does not explain why people form subcultures of criminality e.g. the Mafia or gang culture. It’s a very individualistic theory.

Question 12

Who creates the law? Why is this significant?

Answer 12

Boris Johnson, creating laws to benefit the ruling elite. They demonise the working class as they are supposedly most likely to commit crime. However Epstein is ruling elite and committed crime. His theory doesn’t explain this.

Question 13

What is wrong with using official statistics of crime?

Answer 13

Statistics lack Verstehen and validity, using a positivist approach.

Question 14

Does everyone without legitimate means deviate?

Answer 14

No; and strain theory does not explain this.

Question 15

What is Cohen’s subcultural strain theory? What is it?

Answer 15

An adaptation of strain theory. 
He agrees with Merton that mainstream value success’ create problems for socially excluded groups. However Merton’s theory doesn’t explain:
- Collective delinquent behaviour,
- Non-utilitarian crime,
so he adapts the theory.

Question 16

What are Cohen’s adaptations of Merton’s strain theory?

Answer 16

• Value Inversion.

- Committing non-utilitarian crimes for respect among peer groups.

Question 17

What did Cloward and Ohlin identify of Cohen’s subcultural strain theory?

Answer 17

1. The criminal subculture
2. The conflict subculture.
3. The retreatist subculture.

Question 18

What does Matza suggest about functionalist subcultural theories?

Answer 18

He rejects them. Suggests they:

• the values of delinquents and the rest of society are very similar.
• He suggests that many young people commit only occasional delinquent activities as a means of achieving identity, excitement and peer-group status for a short period of time.
• They have little serious commitment to delinquent values or a delinquent way of life, and many give it up as they grow older.
• The justice deviance based on the original value consensus so it is not a value inversion.
• If it was a consequence of status frustration we would expect more working class, inner city people to be deviant and not follow the social norms of the value consensus.