Topic 1 Flashcards
What are the two mechanisms Functionalists argue society has to maintain solidarity?
Socialisation
Social control
which functionalist said, “Crime is normal …. An integral part of all healthy societies”?
Durkheim
What are the two reasons why crime is inevitable?
Socialisation into different lifestyles makes some people more prone to deviance than others
Complex division of labour leads to subcultures and values which may be seen as deviant
Why does Durkheim argue there is greater anomie in modern society?
Durkheim argues that a complex division of labour increases individualism, which undermines the shared culture or collective conscience and leads to people straining to anomie
What are the two positive functions of crime according to Durkheim?
Boundary Maintenance: the reaction to the crime reinforces social solidarity and discourages the behaviour happening again
Adaption and Change: deviance allows social change to occur and turns d behaviour into non d behaviour in the future
What are Durkheim’s reasons for saying that too little crime and too much crime are equally as bad?
Both disrupt the balance needed for healthy social order.
What does Kingsley Davis mean by prostitution as a Safety valve?
For the release of men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family.
What does Polsky also argue to support Durkhiem’s view that crime has positive functions?
Porn channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery.
Who argues that deviance is important because it helps us recognise that an institution is not functioning properly?
A. Cohen
Who argues that society is organised to promote crime?
Merton
Which sociological theory is important in showing the ways in which deviance is integral to society?
Functionalists
Give three Criticisms of the functionalist perspective on Crime.
- Functionalists fail to tell us how much amount of crime is needed in society
- Functionalists ignore that crime doesn’t benefit everyone e.g. trafficked sex workers
- Just society produces crimes does not mean that does mean it is why it necessarily exists.
Why do people commit crimes according to the strain theories?
Strain theories argue that people commit crimes because they are unable to attain the socially approved goals through legitimate means
Who were the first strain theories?
Merton
Which of Durkheim’s concepts does Merton use to explain structural factors and cultural factors?
Anomie
What does Merton mean by Structural factors?
Society’s unequal opportunity structure
What does Merton mean by cultural factors?
The strong emphasis on success and weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them
How does Merton explain deviance is due to strain?
Merton argues that people commit crimes because they strain between using the legitimate means to achieve socially accepted goal
Why does Merton argue the American Dream causes people to strain to deviance?
The American Dream causes people to strain due to the unequal opportunity structure in America
What are the 5 ways adaptation of strain according to Merton?
Conformity
Innovators
Retreatism
Ritualism
Rebellion
Give two ways Merton’s strain theory explains patterns shown in official crime statistics.
Merton shows why most crime is property crime because American society values material health so highly.
Lower class crime rates are higher because they have the least opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately
Give three criticisms of Merton.
Merton takes crime statistics at face value
Marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce the laws in ways that criminalise the poor but not the rich
Merton only accounts for utilitarian crimes and not violence, vandalism etc
Why does crime occur according to subcultural strain theories?
They see deviance as the product of a delinquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society.
In what two ways does Cohen criticise Merton’s strain theory?
Cohen criticizes Merton as Merton solely focuses on Individual response to strain, ignoring that much crime is committed in groups
Merton only focuses on Utilitarian crime and ignores crimes such as assault and vandalism which may have no economic gain
How does Status frustration lead to crime according to Albert K Cohen?
Cohen argues that status frustration forces them to reject mainstream middle-class values turning instead to other boys in the same situation form or join delinquent subculture
What does Cohen mean by Alternative Status hierarchy?
Alternative Status hierarchy is where delinquent subcultures gain status by inverting the values of mainstream culture and creating their own illegitimate opportunity structure.
Give one limitation that Cohen has in common with Merton’s strain theory.
Cohen just like Merton assumes working-class boys start off sharing middle-class values
Who argues about the three types of criminal subcultures?
Cloward and Ohlin
How does unequal opportunity to illegitimate opportunity structure lead to differences in subcultural responses?
Different subcultural responses are formed if they have access to illegitimate opportunity structure or not
What are the three types of subcultural responses?
Criminal subcultures
Conflict subcultures
Retreatist subculture
What are the three types of subcultural responses?
Criminal subcultures provide youth with an apprenticeship in utilitarian crime
What do Cloward and Ohlin mean by Conflict subculture?
Conflict subcultures only provide memberships into gangs and subsequent turf wars (Cohen)
Give 2 criticisms of Cloward and Ohlin’s subcultural explanations?
Like Merton and Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin ignore the wider power structure, including who makes and enforces the law
Cloward and Ohlin draw boundaries too sharply between the different subcultures.
Whose recent strain theory shows how the education system in America exerts pressure Messner and on young people to commit crimes?
Messner and Rosenfield
Which sociologist argues that the replacement of capitalism in former communist countries led to an increase in crime?
Savelsberg
