Functionalist, Strain And Subcultural Theories

Question 1

Durkheim- functionalist theory of crime

Answer 1

Crime reduces a value consensus
Though socialisation and social control
Inevitable and universal of all societies.
Individual- inadequately socialised. Prone to deviate
Individuals becoming even more different from each other causing anomie.

Question 2

Functions of crime

Answer 2

Boundary maintenance - unite society against wrong doers, reinforce shared norms and values

Adaptation and change - for change to occur, individuals must deviate from society

Safety valve -Davis- prostitution acts as a safety valve for men to get out their sexual frustration without threatening the nuclear family

Warning light- cohen- deviance indicates that an institution is malfunctioning.

Question 3

Criticisms of Durkheim

Answer 3

What is the right amount of crime?
Crime does not exist for social solidarity, why does it exist in the first place

Question 4

Merton- strain theory

Answer 4

Deviance is he result of strain between goals encouraged by society and having the means to achieve these goals.
Eg American dream, emphasise money success but poverty and criminal ion blocks opportunity, causing strain between money success and lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve it
Pressure- winning is more important than playing by the rules.

Question 5

Deviant adaptations to strain

Answer 5

Conformity- accept and strive to achieve
Innovators- accept but illegitimate means
Ritualism - give up on goal but follow rules
Retreatism- reject goal and means- drop out
Rebellion- replace goals with new ones, strive for change

Question 6

Strengths of Merton

Answer 6

Explains patterns
Most crime is property crime due to value on wealth
Working class crime rate is higher due to lack of opportunity

Question 7

Cohen- Status Frustration
Alternative status hierarchy

Answer 7

Culturally deprived and cannot achieve by legitimate ears, suffer status frustration. Resolve by rejecting mainstream culture and forming subcultures

Alternative status - join subcultures where they take part in deviant activity to gain the status of pers.
inverts mainstream values

Question 8

Cloward and Ohlin- 3 subcultures

Answer 8

Criminal subcultures-
Apprenticeship in crime, long-standing criminal network, hierarchy

Conflict- loose network of gangs, loosely organised gangs that use violence to release frustration.

Retreatist-
Double failures, fail legit and illegitimate means.

Question 9

Evaluation of cloward and Ohlin

Answer 9

Ignore crimes of wealthy
Show characteristics and types.
Wrongly assumes everyone begins with the same goals.