functionalist views of crime

Question 1

what two key things are needed for social solidarity?

Answer 1

socialisation and social control

Question 2

what does durkheim say about crime for society?

Answer 2

it’s inevitable and universal and the right amount is good for society

Question 3

why does durkheim say crime is inevitable?

Answer 3

not everyone is socialised equally.
diversity of lifestyles, experiences and values

Question 4

why does durkheim say modern society leads to crime?

Answer 4

rules governing norms become weaker and less clear-cut, leading to uncertainty. we are more different and so less social solidarity.

Question 5

what are the 4 functions of crime?

Answer 5

boundary maintenance
warning light
safety valve
adaption and change

Question 6

what does durkheim mean by boundary maintenance?

Answer 6

crime creates reaction in society, uniting them and reinforcing shared n+vs.
publicity reinforce values and shames and stigmatises offender.

Question 7

what does durkheim say about adaption and change?

Answer 7

all change starts with act of deviance, new ideas and values mustn’t be stifled by social control. society adapts to new ideas rather than stagnate.
eg suffragettes, gay rights

Question 8

what is the safety valve and who talks about it?

Answer 8

davis - prostitution acts as release for men’s sexual frustration without threatening family.
minor crimes can prevent more serious ones.

Question 9

what is the warning light and who talks about it?

Answer 9

cohen - deviance indicates when institution is malfunctioning and shows that change is needed.

Question 10

strength of functions of crime?

Answer 10

highlights importance of crime and deviance as part of organic analogy and shows positive functions of crime.

Question 11

weaknesses of functions of crime?

Answer 11

crime clearly isn’t positive for victim.
doesn’t say how much crime is right amount - subjective.
doesn’t explain why some people commit crime and some don’t
ignores how some groups have more influence on law making
ignores labelling

Question 12

who talks about strain theory?

Answer 12

merton

Question 13

what is strain theory?

Answer 13

crime is a result of strain between cultural goals and structural factors (structure of society)

Question 14

what is strain to anomie?

Answer 14

american culture puts more emphasis on achieving goals than doing do legitimately. not everyone has same opportunities to achieve shared goals so this creates strain to anomie.

Question 15

explain mertons 5 responses to cultural goals?

Answer 15

conformity - accept goals and legit means of achieving.
innovation - accept goals but reject legit ways eg stealing.
ritualism - reject goals but accept legit ways eg low m/c jobs, love rules.
retreatism - reject goals and legit ways of doing them eg addiction.
rebellion - replace both with new means eg hippies/terrorists.

Question 16

strength of merton’s theory?

Answer 16

shows how any behaviour can arise from shared goals.

Question 17

criticisms of merton’s theory?

Answer 17

ignores dark figure of crime
ignores power of ruling class to make and enforce laws in ways to criminslise poor
only accounts for utalitarian crimes - ignores murder.

Question 18

how does hirschi differ from durkheim?

Answer 18

talks about why people DON’T commit crime rather than why they DO.

Question 19

explain hirschi’s 4 bonds of attachment.

Answer 19

attachment - how would spouse/children react to crime.
commitment - what do we have to lose (job?)
involvement - how involved in community are you?
belief - personal moral code

Question 20

according to hirschi, who is most likely to commit crime?

Answer 20

those with no family, attachments, work commitments or moral code.

Question 21

strength of hirschi’s theory?

Answer 21

focuses on what stops people from committing crime.
introduces idea of how to prevent crime and achieve social order, have influenced policymakers.

Question 22

criticism of hirschi’s theory?

Answer 22

doesn’t address why some members of society have secure bonds and why others don’t.

Question 23

how does cohen explain crime?

Answer 23

w/c boys face anomie in m/c education system. culturally deprived and lack skills to achieve and suffer status frustration. therefore they create subcultures where status can be earnt through delinquent acts (alternative status hierarchy)

Question 24

strength of merton’s theory?

Answer 24

offers explanation of nonutilitarian deviance

Question 25

weakness of merton’s theory?

Answer 25

assumes w/c boys ever shared m/c goals

Question 26

what is a reactive subculture and who believes in them?

Answer 26

cohen + cloward and ohlin
subculture develops as response to blocked opportunities such as unemployment, resulting in crime.

Question 27

why does crime happen according to cloward and ohlin?

Answer 27

w/c youths denied legit opportunities, however not all turn to innovation, many turn to drug use and violence creating illegitimate opportunity structures.

Question 28

what are cloward and ohlin’s 3 subcultures?

Answer 28

professional criminal - hierarchy to work up, offer apprenticeship to new criminals.
conflict gang - violence over territory .
retreatist dropout - don’t have access to crime cultures either so focus on drug use, double failure.

Question 29

strength of cloward and ohlin?

Answer 29

attempts to explain different types of w/c crimes in terms of subcultures.

Question 30

weaknesses of cloward and ohlin?

Answer 30

ignores m/c crime.
not all delinquents are strongly committed to subculture but may drift in and out.

Question 31

what are independent subcultures?

Answer 31

develop due to result of socialisation, not response to society.

Question 32

who believes in independent subcultures?

Answer 32

murray, miller.

Question 33

what does miller mean by focal concerns?

Answer 33

w/c dont accept mainstream n+vs and have different set.

Question 34

explain miller’s 5 focal concerns

Answer 34

toughness/trouble - masculinity and ability to fight.
excitement - desire for fun.
smartness - being streetwise, seizing opportunities.
fatalism - future can’t be changed and boring jobs likely to be their life.
autonomy - authority ‘can’t’ push them around

Question 35

criticisms of miller’s focal concerns?

Answer 35

ignores impact of m/c institutions on lower w/c.
found in other subcultures like sport not just w/c.
ignores women.

Question 36

strength of miller’s focal concerns?

Answer 36

offers different and ineterdepending reasons why w/c boys may commit crime.