Functionalist Theories of Crime and Deviance Flashcards
According to functionalists, what are the 4 positive functions of crime?
~Boundary Maintenance and social cohesion
~Adaptation and change
~Warning sign
~Safety valve
What is boundary maintenance and social cohesion as a positive function of crime?
Crime acts as a way to reinforce what is acceptable behaviour in society as the public nature of the punishments shows people what will happen for breaking the rules. Very serious crimes can also lead to society coming together to condemn the perpetrators.
What is adaptation and change as a positive function of crime?
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.
How does crime act as a warning sign as a positive function?
An increase to a certain type of crime or deviant behaviour can be an indication that something in society isn’t functioning as it should be and a change needs to occur.
How does crime act as a safety valve as a positive function?
Some minor crimes and acts of deviance can actually prevent larger, more serious crimes.
What are some evaluations of functionalists’ positive functions of crime?
- Marxists: ignores the role that the powerful have in shaping what is criminal and deviant as well as the role of social inequality.
- Durkheim ignores the impact that crime has the on individual victims.
- Doesn’t quantify how much crime is beneficial to society.
- Crime doesn’t always lead to solidarity but can cause isolation of both victim and criminal.
What is Merton’s strain theory?
Crime is a response to the strain placed on people to achieve the goals and values that are needed to be successful in society.
What are the 5 types of strain?
- Conformity - accepting the goals set out by society as well as the means to achieve them.
- Innovation - accepting the goals set out by society but choosing alternative methods to achieve them.
- Ritualism - following the means to achieve the goals of society but believing that you will never actually achieve them.
- Rebellion - rejecting the goals of society and creating your own as well as the means of achieving them.
- Retreatism - rejecting the goals of society and the means of achieving them but not replacing them with your own goals or means.
What are some evaluations of strain theory?
- Over exaggerates the importance of monetary success.
- Underestimates the amount of crime committed by those who have achieved societal goals.
- Doesn’t explain why groups choose the response they do.
- Fails to explain non-utilitarian crime.
What is status frustration?
~Subcultural theory~
Young people get frustrated by their inability to achieve social goals which lead to status so they turn to crime to achieve this status instead.
What are some evaluations of status frustration?
- Working class boys don’t share the same ideas of status as Middle class boys
- Ignores female delinquency
- Only looks at youth crime
What are illegitimate opportunity structures?
~Subcultural theory~
Criminal subcultures which socialise young people into criminal activity.
Conflict subcultures where there is little social cohesion.
Retreatist subcultures for those who fail to gain access to the other two subcultures.
What are some evaluations for illegitimate opportunity structures?
- Assumes the official statistics of crime are accurate.
- Over exaggerates criminal opportunities available to the young.
What are focal concerns?
~Subcultural theory~ The working class have a different set of values or focal concerns to the rest of society which include hypermasculinity which can lead to criminal behaviour appearing normal.
What are some evaluations of focal concerns?
- Not all working class people are criminals.
- The subculture membership is often short lived (Matza).
