Functionalism & Crime Flashcards
What does Durkheim see crime as?
A healthy and inevitable part of society, as there will always be deviant people who test the boundaries
What is ‘boundary maintenance’?
When people who commit criminal acts are sanctioned
What would happen if we didn’t have boundary maintenance?
Petty actions could be classed as crime e.g., burping
What would happen if we didn’t have crime?
We would live in a ‘society of saints’
What is a ‘value consensus’?
The majority of society share the same norms and values. This is important for society to function effectively and for social order to be maintained
What would happen if people did not know the values of society?
This would lead to ‘anomie’
What is ‘anomie’?
This is when society is in a state of chaos where there are no agreed rules
What is important to prevent anomie?
Socialisation
What is ‘social solidarity’?
When all members of society feel part of a whole
What event is an example of social solidarity?
9/11
What did Durkheim say about ‘public temper’?
Durkheim said shared outrage over a crime or scandal will lead to be people expressing ‘public temper’ and therefore promoting social solidarity
What is a ‘collective conscience’?
When all members in society share a set of values
What does a ‘collective conscience’ do?
Leads a community to control itself, using sanctions to ensure that anyone who steps out of line knows it is wrong
How is ‘collective conscience’ expressed?
Through a sense of shock, outrage, horror or anger
How does crime show people boundaries?
By publicly punishing those who stray beyond them, as deviance must be identified and punished
Who identifies and punishes deviance?
Agencies of social control
What did Durkheim say prevents anomie?
A small amount of crime, as long as it’s punished
What happens if society allows too much crime without punishment?
This can result in a breakdown of social order, threatening all of society, which can lead to an increase in deviant behaviour
How can anomie occur?
Reasons such as a sudden change or government or major economic upheaval
Who believes deviance can function as a ‘safety valve’?
Davis
What does a ‘safety valve’ allow?
An individual to ‘let off steam’ to prevent worse deviance
What did Davis study?
Prostitution, suggesting that the goals of sexual behaviour in men aren’t naturally social. In society the morally acceptable expression of sexuality is constricted to the family, promoting raising children. This leads to conflict for men who have sexual urges they need to satisfy, leading to promiscuity or rape
What does Cohen believe about prostitution?
States that prostitution is actually providing a ‘safe’ outlet for these sexual urges in a way which is less threatening to the family
How can Durkheim be criticised?
- Durkheim doesn’t explain why it happens
- He doesn’t explain why some people do it more than others
- Durkheim doesn’t explain why people are deviant in different ways
- He doesn’t consider the negative effects of deviance on individuals, such as victims of crime
