Functionalist Theories of C&D

Question 1

Functionalist views on Crime

Answer 1

• Source of C&D is located within structure of society
• Social orden and cohesion based around value consensus - agencies of social control protect this by controlling the threat posed by C&D

Question 2

Emile Durkheim

Answer 2

• Crime inevitable in all societies
• We all experience life differently and have different demads placed on us = impossible to expect everyone to have the same values/moral beliefs
• Despite threats to social order, C&D sometimes necessary and beneficial

Question 3

Durkheim - Benefits of C&D

Answer 3

1. Strengthen collective values
2. Enable social change
3. Act as safety valve
4. Act as warning device
   * Boundary Maintenance
   * Adaptation and Change - need some scope for people to be able to change society’s norms and values

Question 4

Positive Functions of Crime - Davis (1937)

Answer 4

• Deviance can act as ‘safety valve’ - relesing stresses in society
• eg. Prostituion allows men to release frustrations and will be done even if it is illegal

Question 5

Positive Functions of Crime - Cohen

Answer 5

• C&D acts as ‘warning device’ for society that something is not working correctly and change needs to happen
• eg. Riots pre-1968 Race Relations Act

Question 6

Durkheim - Does Society Promote Crime?

Answer 6

Too little crime is a warning signal - society is repressive and controlling members too much - stifling individual freedom and preventing change

Question 7

Erikson (1966) - Does Society Promote Crime?

Answer 7

Since deviance performs positive functions, society purposefully promotes it in order to keep a ‘healthy balance’ of crime - agents of social control actually aim to maintain certain level of crime through protests, demonstration, ‘freshers week’

Question 8

Evaluation

Answer 8

• Doesn’t state how much crime is needed by society
• Criminals do not commit crime to fulfill positive functions
• Doesn’t look at effect on individuals
• Crime doesn’t always lead to solidarity
• Values are ethnocentric/broken down
• Not all criminals punished equally
• Some crimes will always be dysfunctional - eg. rape
• Not all conform to the same ideas in society