Subcultural Theory Flashcards
Who looks at US gangs?
- Cohen
- Cloward + Ohlin
- Miller
What did Cohen argue?
Delinquent behaviour was most likely to develop among WC boys doing badly at school because of status frustration. They gain status through delinquent behaviour (fighting+vandalism) rather than achieving academic success.
What did Cloward and Ohlin argue?
WC boys can belong to 3 subcultures:
- The criminal subculture
- The conflict subculture
- The retreatist subculture
Describe the criminal subculture
Most likely to be found in stable WC areas. Status is gained through gang membership and promotion is possible within the gang. Most crimes involve making a financial gain.
Describe the conflict subculture
This is more concerned with antisocial, violent and aggressive behaviour than making money.
Describe the retreatist subculture
Puts the main focus on alcohol or drugs.
What did Miller argue?
Many WC American boys get into trouble with the police simply because they have a different set of norms and values to the rest of the population. He calls these focal concerns.
What are the 3 focal concerns according to Miller?
Trouble
Toughness
Excitement
These focal norms mean WC men will often break the law after having a night out with the lads or drinking too much because the focal norms they hold make it inevitable that crimes will be committed.
Explain trouble
Accepting that life involves violence
Explain toughness
Real men fight, drink and womanise
Excitement
Always on the lookout for fun and ‘having a laugh’
Describe US gangs today
Gangs are a key feature of many American cities and are often ethnically divided.
What are the two most infamous USA gangs?
The crisps and the bloods.
The crisps wear blue and the bloods wear red.
What did Nightingale do?
Studied young black gangs in Philadelphia.
What does Nightingale argue?
He argues that the gang members want to achieve the American dream of having the latest consumer goods. However as they are excluded educationally, economically and politically from mainstream US culture, they are forced to gain them through crime.
What evidence is there that UK gangs are becoming more serious and more like USA gangs?
Bennett + Holloway studied data from interviews with almost 5,000 arrestees across England + Wales and found that 15% had current or past experience as gang members. They estimated 20,000 active gang members in the UK aged 18 or over.
What does Korem argue?
Middle class boys are forming gangs because of family problems such as divorce or parents being too busy to spend time with them. The gang becomes a substitute family.
Give some criticisms of subcultural theory
- it is based on accepting the validity of official crime statistics.
Who criticises subcultural theory?
David Matza
Social action theorists
Marxists
What does Matza argue/ criticise the theory?
Research into gangs is too deterministic. Studies imply that once you join a gang you can’t escape and commit yourself to a deviant lifestyle. Matza says this isn’t the case - many young men simply drift in and out of criminal activity and are just looking for excitement and fun.
He calls this the search for ‘subterranean values’, when caught they use ‘techniques of neutralisation’, which are simply excuses for their behaviour such as ‘everyone does it’
How do social action theorists criticise this theory?
Young men are labelled by the police. MC boys simply get away with more and are treated more leniently by the police.
How do Marxists criticise the theory?
They argue that the real criminals in society aren’t WC gang members but corporate criminals. The criminal justice system is biased.
