Subcultural Theories Of Crime

Question 1

What do subcultural theorists argue

Answer 1

Deviance is the result of whole groups breaking off from society who have deviant values and deviance is a result of these individuals conforming to the values of the subculture

Question 2

Albert cohen - status frustration

Answer 2

The working class subcultures emerge because they are denied status in society .
W/c strove to emulate m/c values but lacked the means to achieve success which leads to status frustration 
Boys react to this frustration by rejectng socially acceptable values,  because there are several boys going through the same experiences they end up banding together and forming delinquent subcultures 
The delinquent subcultures reverses the norms of mainstream culture and status can be gained by being malicious, intimdating others, breaking school rules.

Question 3

Cloward and Ohlin 3 types of subcultures.

Answer 3

Criminal subcultures = characterised by utilitarian crimes such as theft. They develop in more stable working class areas where there is an established pattern of crime which provides a learning opportunity and career structure for aspiring young criminals and an alternative to the legitimate job market as a means of achieving financial rewards 
Conflict subcultures = emerge in socially disorganised areas with a lack of social cohesion. These prevemt the formation of stable adult criminal subcultures . They are characterised by violence, gang warfare, mugging and other street crime. Both the approved and illegal means are blocked and young people get to express their frustrations.
Retreatist subcultures = emerge among those lower class youth who are double failures and they have failed to suceed in both mainsream society and in the other two subcultures. The response is a retreat into drug addiction and alcohlism paid for by petty theft, shoplifting and prostitution

Question 4

David Matza

Answer 4

There are no distinct subcultures amog young people but rather all groups in society share a set of subterranean values which simply deviant values that encoruage us to go against social norms which are usually under control but sometimes peak at leisure times