Functionalist Theories Flashcards
Durkheim: Crime is inevitable
He argued that crime is inevitable, normal and necessary aspect of social life.
Crime acts as Boundary Maintenance
Prevents the Society of saints syndrome
Some deviance is necessary
It acts as a Warning Device
Merton’s Strain Theory
People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve goals by legitimate means. In an unequal society not everyone is given the same opportunities but the whole society works for or values the ‘American Dream’
Marxism
Karl Marx argued that capitalism is criminogenic (makes crime inevitable). Society is run in the way that benefits the ruling class to explode the working class. Crime is only a working class thing because:
The law protects property and wealth and therefore protects the profit of the working class
Selective Law Enforcement
Crime is inevitable because of capitalism
Crime is used by the ruling class as a distraction
