functionalist strain & subcultural theories Flashcards
Durkheim - boundary maintenance
crime allows society to reinforce what is acceptable behaviour in society as the public nature of the punishment shows people what will happen for breaking the rules
Durkheim - social cohesion
serious crimes can alos lead to society coming together to condemn the perpetrators
Durkheim - adaptation and change
some social deviance is necessary to allow society to move forward and progress, without some deviant and criminal behaviour, society will become stagnant and die
Clinard / Cohen - warning sign
an increase in a certain type of crime or deviant behaviour can be an indication that something in society is not functioning as it should be and change needs to occur
Davis / Polsky - safety valve
some minor crimes and acts of deviancy can actually prevent larger more serious crimes. e.g men watching pornography can prevemt more serious sexual crimes
evaluation of functionalism
- ignores the impact that crime has on individuals
- doesn’t quantify how much crime is beneficial
- crime doesn’t always lead to solidarity
- ignores the role that the powerful have in shaping what is criminal and deviant
Cohen - status frustration
young people get frustrated by their inability to achieve social goals which lead to status so turn to crime to achieve status
criticism of cohen
- willis > w/c boys do not share the same ideas of status at m/c boys
- ignores female delinquency
only discusses youth crime
Cloward & Ohlin - criminal subculture
socialise young people into criminal activity
Cloward & Ohlin - conflict subcultures
little social cohesion and violence in the area - encourages gangs and knife crime
Cloward & Ohlin - retreatist subculture
those who fail to gain access into the other two subcultures - homeless, drug addicts
criticisms of cloward and ohlin
- assumes the offical stats on crime are accurate
- over exaggeration of crime opportunities available to the young
Miller - focal concerns
w/c have a different set of values or focal concerns to the rest of society which include hyper masculinity which can lead to criminal behaviour appearing more normal
criticisms of miller
- not all w/c are criminals
- matza > subculture membership is often short lived
Merton - strain theory
believed that crime is a response to the strain placed on people to achieve the goals and values of society
Innovation
accepting the gaols set out and agreed by society but choosing alternative means to achieve them
criticisms of merton’s strain theory
- over exaggerates the importance if monetary success
- underestimates the amount of crime committed by those who have achieved societal goals
-doesn’t explain why groups chose the groups they do - fails to explain non-utilitarian crimes
Hirschi - control theory
strong bonds with society stops people from committing crime
criticisms of hirschi
- assumes all people are naturally bad and it is society that keeps people good
- doesn’t explain why the bonds are weak or strong, or how they became so
