Criticisms

Question 1

Criticisms of functionalist theory to crime and deviance

Answer 1

-Crime doesn’t always promote solidarity. May have the opposite effect and make people feel isolated.

-murder for their crime reinforces social solidarity but Isn’t functional for the victim.

Question 2

Criticisms of Mertons theory

Answer 2

.assumes there is a value consensus that everyone strives for money and ingnores the fact not everyone might share this value.

Explains utilitarian crime but not violence and vandalism.

Marxists says it ignores the power of ruling class to make laws that criminalise the poor.

Question 3

Miller Criticises Cloward + Ohlin

Answer 3

Argues working class boys do not see mainstream goals desirable. Young people cannot form a subculture which rejects mainstreams goals when they never had them to begin with.

Question 4

Criticisms of Cloward + Ohlin

Answer 4

.ignores crimes of the wealthy. Also over predicts the amount of working class crime.