Functionalist view on crime

Question 1

What does Durkheim say about his view on crime and deviance ?

Answer 1

• crime is an integral part of a healthy society
• some crime and deviance is inevitable
• Value consensus (shared agreement of norms and values)
• If there isn’t value consensus then anomie occurs

Question 2

What is the evaluation of Durkheim’s theory ?

Answer 2

Strength: Can be applied to real-life examples
Limitation: Doesn’t explain why criminals commit crime
Limitation: Marxists - don’t consider the negative effects of deviance on individuals

Question 3

What are Durkheim’s 4 functions of crime ?

Answer 3

Promoting social solidarity = The sense of social cohesion in society, when scandals happen or crimes occur people come together and are enraged, the community is then policed by the people themselves.

Boundary Maintenance = Crime shows the boundaries of what is right and wrong . He thinks that any deviance must be punished by the agents of social control

Anomie: If society allows too much crime and deviance without punishment, there is less value consensus which leads to anomie. This threatens the stability of the government E.g. Change of the government

Deviance as a ‘safety value’: Allows individuals to let off steam. Davis says that prostitution is far from damaging to society as it provides a safe outlet for sexual tensions, less threatening to family.

Question 4

How does merton’s strain theory relate to crime ?

Answer 4

• Says that there is clear goals in society and defined means of reaching them
• Crime and deviance occurs when goals are emphasised over acceptable means
• This can cause anomie which means that alternative means are more accessible, this is when anomie occurs
• Those in the lower class are resticted to these goals
• The socially acceptable ways are not always going to achieve success
• Individuals may the lose faith in the system

Question 5

What are Merton’s 5 modes of adaptation ?

Answer 5

1. Conformity = conforms to goals and attempts to achieve them
2. Innovation = accepted the goals but not legitimate means of reaching them
3. Ritualism = reduces goals and aspiration. Can be seen as deviant as they have no ambition
4. Retreatism = give up on the goals and turn to addiction, uses crime as a coping mechanism
5. Rebellion - rejects societies goals and replaces with alternative goals

Question 6

What are the evaluative points of Merton’s theory ?

Answer 6

Limitations:
- Not everyone might have wanted to achieve the American dream
- May be other reasons for crime and deviance
- People may fit into multiple modes at once
Strength
- Has helped developed other theories such as the subcultural theory