Functionalism And Crime Flashcards
What does Cohen suggest about crime and deviance?
Status is a desired and valued goal but some groups are denied access as they lack the socially approved means to achieve it such as educational achievement. Status frustration develops so individuals aim to achieve status through an alternative status hierarchy such as delinquent subcultures creating deviant identities to gain peer group status by reversing accepted forms of behaviour to ‘get back’ at society
What point can be used to evaluate Cohen’s theory?
Miller argues that the working class have distinctive norms and values so deviance is just an exaggerated form of their culture so subcultures don’t arise as a reaction to dominating middle class values
Why is Cohen’s theory useful?
It highlights the structural problems within education and explains non utilitarian crime
What does Durkheim say about crime and deviance?
Crime is inevitable and a normal aspect of life as not everyone can be part of the collective conscience of society either due to poor socialisation, conflicting subcultures or anomie. Crime and deviance can perform positive functions e.g. it can act as a safety valve for releasing stresses and providing an outlet for discontent which helps prevent moe serious threats to social order
How is Durkheim’s theory useful?
Deviance is necessary and has latent functions. Davies says that prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustrations without significantly threatening society by committing crimes such as rape
What point can be used to evaluate Durkheim’s theory?
Large amounts of crime and deviance can’t be positive for society e.g. during the Yorkshire Ripper period when women felt isolated and feared going out
What does Merton suggest about crime and deviance?
All members of society are socialised into value consenus and if individuals are unable to reach socially approved goals like wealth then they resort to criminal means of getting what they want, causing a strain to develop. An adaptation of strain is innovation where an individual accepts the cultural goals but uses deviant means to achieve them
How is Merton’s theory useful?
Normal and deviant behaviour is influenced by a desire to obtain cultural goals so the working class crime rate is higher as they have fewer opportunities to obtain them legitimately
What point can be used to evaluate Merton’s theory?
It only accounts for utilitarian crime and doesn’t explain crimes such as vandalism which doesn’t offer monetary gain
What do Cloward and Ohlin suggest about crime and deviance?
People are socialised to value success. Those who have the means to achieve it do so legitimately. Those who are denied legitimate means still desire success so they pursue illegitimate means such as crime. Criminal subcultures develop because of successful role role models’ who have done well from crime and represent visible evidence that crime is a potential route out of poverty and an alternative to the legitimate job market
How is Cloward and Ohlin’s theory useful?
It explains why people become involved in criminal behaviour
What point can be used to evaluate Cloward and Ohlin’s theory?
In Britain there is little evidence to suggest that criminal subcultures exist outside of media fantasies. Katz suggests that crime is seductive and males get drawn into it because of the thrilling nature
What does Matza say about crime and deviance?
Everyone shares subterranean values but most people control these slide sites most of the time. People can’t drift in and out of occasional acts of delinquency as a means of achieving identity, excitement and peer group status whilst confirming to mainstream values most of the time
What does Katz say about crime and deviance?
Crime is seductive and young males get drawn into it because it’s thrilling and exciting
What does Lyng say about crime and deviance?
Young males like taking risks and engaging in edgework
