Crime, deviance, social order and control

Question 1

Functionalist explanations of crime -

What are some positive functions of crime?

Answer 1

. Deviance facilitates social change.
If people never deviated from a society’s norms and values then society would never change; and change can be a very good thing.
Although functionalists would
promote incremental, organic change rather than radical change.

Question 2

Functionalist explanations of crime - 
What are some adaptations to strain? 
 = Accept
X = Reject
(Merton's Theory)

Answer 2

ADAPTATION I MEANS I GOAL I LIKELY CRIME?
CONFORMIST   X
INNOVATOR   
RETREATIST X X 
RITUALIST  X X
REBEL  X  X 

Question 3

Functionalist explanations of crime -
What are some adaptations to strain?
. Conformist?

Answer 3

. The non-deviant, non-criminal, conformist citizen.

Question 4

What are some adaptations to strain?

. Innovator?

Answer 4

. Factors like poor educational qualifications or unemployment mean some can’t achieve goals by approved means so turn to crime as an alternative.

Question 5

What are some adaptations to strain?

. Retreatist?

Answer 5

. Give up on achieving goals, but stick to means e.g. teachers who have given up caring for a students success, or office workers who have abandoned hopes of promotion and are just marking time until they retire.

Question 6

What are some adaptations to strain?

. Ritualist?

Answer 6

. Drop outs like drug addicts or tramps who give up all together.

Question 7

What are some adaptations to strain?

. Rebel?

Answer 7

. Reject existing social goals and means, but substitute new ones to create a new society, like revolutionaries or members of some religious sects.

Question 8

Types of subculture -

What is a subculture according to Cohen (1955)?

Answer 8

Deviants actually do conform to norms and values, they just happen to be different norms and values from mainstream society.
Most commonly seen in working‐class boys who often failed at school resulting in a low status. 
This status frustration led them to the formation of subcultures or gangs with values that were largely the reverse of mainstream values, they were then deemed taboo or deviant.
Many  within subcultures feel marginalised by society, strained as they feel as though they 'don't fit in'.

Question 9

Types of subculture -

Criminal subculture?

Answer 9

. Organised crime (e.g. the mafia) where career criminals can socialise youths into their own criminal career that might result in material success.

Question 10

Types of subculture -

Conflict subculture?

Answer 10

. Gangs organised by young people themselves, often based on claiming territory from other gangs in so‐called “turf wars”.

Question 11

Types of subculture -

Retreatist subculture?

Answer 11

. Those who are unable to access either legitimate or illegitimate opportunity structures might drop out altogether (as Merton said) but might do so as a group rather than individually.
These groups might abuse drugs, for example.

Question 12

What is differential association according to Edwin Sutherland?

Answer 12

Suggests that people learn “deviant” values through their interactions, and therefore people brought up in, or living in, areas with high levels of crime might themselves become criminal. This could happen in “ghetto” areas.