THEORY: Functionalist Explanations Of Crime Flashcards
What is the definition of crime?
Behaviour which breaks laws and goes against the legal system
What is the definition of deviance?
behaviour which goes against the Norms and values of a social group or society
Therefore crime is mostly deviant but not all deviance is criminal
What does it mean to call crime and deviance socially constructed?
Created by people/ social processes rather than occurring naturally
Historical:
E.g. before 1967 illegal to be a homosexual
Cultural:
E.g. polygamy illegal in uk but not all places
How does PLUMMER (1979) make a distinction between structural and societal deviance?
Societal: acts viewed by most of society as deviant in most situations e.g. kicking a dog
Situational: acts only deviant in particular contexts e.g. being naked it okay at home
How does social control occur in society?
Socialisation is a way of making individuals conform to dominant social norms
This is a way to maintain social order so people generally comply with ordered social norms
How are societal norms reinforced?
Sanctions: rewards and punishments can be:
1. Formal (positive as a medal of bravery/ negative as a fine for speeding)
2. Informal(positive as a pat on the back/ negative as deliberately ignoring someone)
How does functionalism see society?
-positive consensus theory
-society based on a value consensus (common culture)
-shared culture produces social solidarity (integration into society through shared values/common culture)
How does society achieve solidarity according to functionalists?
- Socialisation to instil a shared culture into members so ensure individuals internalise the same norms and values society requires
- Social control to reward conformity and punish deviance
How do functionalists view deviance?
It disrupts social stability but is inevitable and beneficial
Two reasons why crime is inevitable?
- Not everyone is effectively socialised so will have differing views/ values so some will deviate
- Diversity of lifestyles and values in modern society therefore subcultures exist with distinct norms which may be viewed as deviant by mainstream society (e.g. anti school subcultures)
What is anomie?
A lack of normality so uncertainty of social norms occurs in modern society
Less clear cut rules governing behaviour so a weakened shared culture and higher levels of deviance
E.g. less of a value consensus
What are the positive functions of crime?
- Boundary maintenance
- Adaptation and change
- Safety valve
- Warning device
What is boundary maintenance? (D)
Crime produces a reaction in society and unites its members in condemnation (disproval) of the wrongdoer so reinforcing commitment to shared norms
DURKHEIM saw purpose of punishment to reaffirm societies shared rules and reinforce social solidarity
Reinforces boundaries as a deterrent e.g. prison/detention/death penalty
What is adaptation and change? (D)
DURKHEIM said deviance allows social change to occur, there is some scope for individuals to challenge and change existing norms (appearing as deviance)
E.g. right to vote/ homosexuality/ own property previously illegal
-All societies need some change to remain healthy and stable
A necessary equilibrium of crime to prevent dysfunction
-too high threatens social order and too low there is no social change
How is safety value a positive function of crime? (D)
Deviance acts as a safety valve (lets out frustration/ stresses of society)
E.g.
DAVIS: prostitution to release men’s sexual frustrations without threatening monogamous nuclear family
POLSKY: porn channels alternative to adultery
How does crime result in a warning device? (D)
A. COHEN: deviant behaviour like protests and truancy can help identify emerging social problems which need to be dealt with before they become a serious threat to social order
EVALUATION of Durkheim functionalist theories on crime? (POSITIVE)
- recognises different types of crime which are committed for different reasons (non/untilitarian)
- identifies need for adaptation and change as society needs to develop
- explains how society sets expectations so people understand consequences (maintain social order)
- explains effects of high and low levels of crime
- views criminals ina positive way so can reduce stigma (rehab)
EVALUATION of Durkheims functionalist theories on crime (NEGATIVE)
- descriptory rather than explanatory theory as does not offer what the right amount of crime is to function successfully (ADAPT AND CHANGE)
- just because crime has functions does not mean it exists just to carry them out, a biproduct of crime is function
- ignores how crime impacts different groups of people or individuals e.g. functional to society but not the victim
- does not always promote solidarity, may lead to isolation
- fails to distinguish different types of crime, only dysfunctional (murder/child abuse)
-criminal justice system does not punish equally e.g. benefit powerful
-POSTMODERN: anomie so no universal norms and values
Why do strain theorists argue deviant behaviour occurs?
- when people are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
What is the strain to anomie?
- a pressure to deviate from societal norms and potentially commit crime because of the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve the cultural goal of money success
How does MERTON adapt the concept of anomie to explain deviance?
- there is a strain between a culture which encourages individuals to achieve success AND what the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately (difficult to active legitimately)
What are the main cultural goals of the American dream?
- values ‘money success’ of individual material wealth and high status
- Americans are expected to pursue by legitimate means of qualifications and hard work
- American dream suggests society is meritocratic as anyone can be who they wish
What is the reality of the American dream?
- link myth of meritocracy
- disadvantaged groups denied opportunity to achieve legitimately due to poverty/ discrimination/ inadequate schooling
- strain between cultural goal of money success and lack of legitimate means to achieve it
- CAUSES pressure to deviate ( THE STRAIN TO ANOMIE)
- more emphasis on achieving goals rather than emphasising the legitimate means
How can Merton’s strain theory explain patterns of deviance in society?
-position within the social hierarchy impacts the way they respond to the strain to anomie
The different adaptations are dependent on wether the individual accepts or rejects the cultural goals or legitimate means
What are the 5 adaptations to change?
- Conformity: try to achieve main cultural goals (money success) through legitimate means, likely MC with good opportunity
- Innovation: alternative and deviant means to reach success (embezzlement/ burglary)
- Ritualism: cannot achieve societies goals and have stopped trying but act legitimately as still used to ritual (routine manual labour)
- Retreatism: reject main cultural goals and means of achieving so retreat from society (drinking/ dropping out)
- Rebellion: reject goals of society and means to achieve (rebel/ protest)
What does strain theory focus on?
Why individuals may commit crime/ deviance
EVALUATE mertons strain theory (POSITIVE)
- shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goals (money success)
- explains patterns in official crime statistics with most of it being property crime as material wealth highly valued
- major influence on later theories of crime and government policy e.g new variety of goals other than money success/ important part of left realist explanations of crime
- MESSNER AND ROSENFELD supports the obsession with money success as pressure toward economic goals , societies based on free market capitalism and lacking adequate welfare makes higher crime rates inevitable
EVALUATE mertons strain theory (NEGATIVE)
- takes official crime statistics at face value (instantly accepted at face value) they over represent WC crime so inaccurate
- too deterministic as although not all WC can achieve money success not all deviate
- MARXIST: ignores power of the RC to make laws which criminalise the poor not rich ( Merton does not account for double standards
- assumes a value consensus which everyone strives for money success e.g. some may value job satisfaction and helping others MILLER argues WC have their own independent subculture with own values.
- only accounts for utilitarian crime for money gain not crimes of violence
- ignores the role of group deviance
- does not recognise there is a social pattern of crime
EVALUATE mertons strain theory (NEGATIVE)
- takes official crime statistics at face value (instantly accepted at face value) they over represent WC crime so inaccurate
- too deterministic as although not all WC can achieve money success not all deviate
- MARXIST: ignores power of the RC to make laws which criminalise the poor not rich ( Merton does not account for double standards
- ## assumes a value consensus which everyone strives for money success e.g. some may value job satisfaction and helping others MILLER argues WC have their own independent subculture with own values.
What do subcultural strain theorists see deviance as?
- ## deviance as a product of delinquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society
