Subcultural Theories Of Crime Ans Deviance

Question 1

Cohen (Functionalist)

Answer 1

STRUCTURAL ORIGINS:

• Working class youths internalise mainstream norms and values through socialisation
• Working class youths face blocked opportunities (e.g. at school) because of their position in the social class structure

CULTURAL CAUSES:
-Some working class youths make a decision to completely reject mainstream norms and values because of the status frustration that they feel 

• Mainstream norms and values are replaced by delinquent subcultural norms and values
• For Cohen, a high value is placed on non-financial negativistic delinquent acts e.g. joy riding, arson and vandalism

Question 2

Cloward and ohlin (Functionalists)

Answer 2

STRUCTURAL ORIGINS:
- Cloward and ohlin accept the views of Cohen on the structural origins of crime and deviance

CULTURAL CAUSES: 
- Maintain that the form of working class delinquent subcultures take depends on access to illegitimate opportunity structures I.e. access to existing criminal networks who will take on younger ‘apprentice’ criminals 

• CRIMINAL SUBCULTURES - Emerge when working class youths have access to adult criminal networks. Focus is on material crimes such as burglary
• CONFLICT SUBCULTURES - Emerge when working class youths lack access to adult criminal networks but live in an environment which values defence of territory and violence leading to gang related ‘warfare’
• RETREATIST SUBCULTURES - Emerge when working class youths are denied access to criminal or conflict subcultures. They then focus on alcohol and drug abuse

Question 3

Walter Miller and ‘focal concerns’ (Functionalist)

Answer 3

STRUCTURAL ORIGINS:
- Rejects Cohen and Cloward and ohlins views on the structural origins of crime

- Criticises the idea that delinquent subcultures emerge as a reaction to anomie. 
• This is because he believes that lower class youths never accept mainstream norms and values in the first place 
• He therefore offers an alternative cultural view in crime and deviance 

CULTURAL CAUSES:
- Lower class youths are socialised into a set of lower class values or focal concerns.
•These values include toughness, smartness, excitement and fatalism

- Some Lower class youths over conform to lower class values because of a concern to gain status within their peer group. 
Delinquency might include assault

Question 4

Marxist subcultural explanations

Answer 4

• Birmingham centre for contemporary cultural studies saw youth subcultures within a wider structurels context - They were responses to the problems of growing up working class in a capitalist society
• The subcultures can’t change the circumstances that the youths find themselves in, they can only provide what brake calls, a magical solution