functionalist view on crime

Question 1

functionalist theory on crime.

Answer 1

society is only healthy when social order is maintained through the police and courts. we need a small amount of crime to remind us of what we believe in. only a small minority will be self-Interested and commit crime.

Question 2

positive functions of crime

Answer 2

> remarking social boundaries
media coverage
social bonds - reunite in disapproval
safety valve - deviance reduces serious problems

Question 3

anomie

Answer 3

a condition of instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values or from a lack of purpose or ideals. when there is too much crime and it stops serving a positive function.

Question 4

durkheim: functionalist

Answer 4

crime is inevitable and necessary to society & has positive functions, the perfect amount of crime will keep society healthy and avoid anomie

Question 5

durkheim: what is boundary maintenance?

Answer 5

purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity. may be done through courtroom rituals which dramatise wrongdoing and publicly shame and stigmatise the offender - reaffirming law abiding.

Question 6

stanley cohen 1972?

Answer 6

‘dramatisation in evil’ in media role. media coverage of crime and deviance often creates ‘folk devils’

Question 7

durkheim: what is adaptation and change?

Answer 7

all change starts with an act of deviance. if new ideas are suppressed, society will be unable to make necessary changes.
> too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart
> too little means that society is repressing and controlling its members too much, stifling individual freedom and preventing change

Question 8

kingsley davis: functionalist

Answer 8

(1937) argues prostitution is a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the nuclear family

Question 9

criticisms

Answer 9

> crimes such as murder may bring society together, but it is not seen as a positive function for the family who suffer the loss and the grief.
feminists argue that prostitution is a safety valve for men, but negatively affects the woman involved.
marxists argue that any positive changes usually only happen for the bourgeoisie, whereas any negative effects usually affect the proletariat. for example, when the london riots occurred in 2011, it did reaffirm boundaries for society, but it also left many working class people without homes, businesses or a feeling of safety.