Topic 1 - functionalist, strain and subcultural theories

Question 1

Durkheim’s view on society

Answer 1

Crime has increased due to a rapid shift away from industrial era, causing people to drift away from social cohesion due to mass urbanization, increasing poverty and crime- leading society to a state of anomie

Question 2

5 Functions of crime

Answer 2

Boundary maintenance
Adaptation and change
Safety Valve
Warning sign
Licenced deviance

Question 3

Why does Durkheim believe crime may be a good thing

Answer 3

Boundary maintenance - social reaction to crime helps us a s a society reinforce our value concencus. People unite to condem criminal behaviour , form of informal social crime, a discencentive to those thinking about committing crime.
Public reaction to London and Manchester bombings
Condemnation of those rioting in 2011

Question 4

What is Durkheim’s adaptation and change

Answer 4

Deviant behaviour demonstrates a change in attitudes of society
Can help us become more progressive
Stops becoming deviant when society accepts it
Eg: gay people protested and kissed in public as rebellion that gay marriage was illegal

Question 5

How does crime act as a safety valve

Answer 5

Davis - prostitution acts for sexual fustration for men, while still protecting the nuclear family
A warning that there are issues in society that need to be changed

Question 6

Evaluation of Durkheim

Answer 6

Diffucult to measure the ‘optimal amount of crime that can exist in a society
Not always leading to social change - state can just nullify these attempts
Realists -Disregards victims to say crime is a goof thing
Marxists - Fails to consider where the consensus comes from and whose interests does it concern

Question 7

What does Young believe about crime being a good thing

Answer 7

Believes in licenced deviance, committing crime when you are young and much less of a threat so that hopefully you will grow out of it

Question 8

Merton view of crime

Answer 8

Crime was a product of defunctionalize in society
Suggested society was unequal, and people have different interpretations of the American dream

Question 9

Merton’s strain theory

Answer 9

Some people would try to achieve the American dream through legitimate means, hard-work, networking
Or if they can’t do this and chose an alternative goal, they may use criminal methods to achieve the American dream or their own dream

Question 10

Different adaptations to strain

Answer 10

Conformity - most American’s response to strain, acceoting it and using legitimate means
Innovation - still accepting the dreams, but using illegitimate means to obtain the American dream. Often docusing on utilitarian crimes which focus on money-making goals
Ritualism - Accepted they were unlikely to gain the wealth offered in the American dream, but still conform to the ideoligies in society
Retreatism - Seeing oppurtunites blocked, reject legitimate means of American dream, don’t conform to views of society either, take drugs
Rebellion - challenged the socially-approved goals and look to set out their own vision of society. Merton wrote in 1930s - very high after great depression

Question 11

Evaluation of Merton

Answer 11

Doesn’t mention crimes of passion

Question 12

Cohen status fustration

Answer 12

Can lead to the formation of delinquent subculture with varying hierarchies.
Explains non utilitarian crime and group crimes

Question 13

Miller’s evaluation of Cohen

Answer 13

Wc boys don’t subscribe to mainstream gaols in the first place so they can’t be fustrated

Question 14

Hirschi - social control

Answer 14

Social control and social order are maintained through the process of socialisation
Suggests that people feel social bonds that control them from committing crimes due to the negative impact of the society they live in

Question 15

Hirschi bonds of attachment

Answer 15

People are integrated into society through special bonds. The stronger these bonds are, the less people commit crimes
Attachment - people have goals such as education, family life and work. This could be interrupted by criminal activity, and if they deviate from these to crime it may stop them later on from acheiving these goals
Belief - the extent someone agrees on the views of society, more applicable to religous people
Commitment- Those commited in society may not wantt to commit crimes that will disrupt the society they live in, includes eing protective of any criminal activity
Involvement - means people involved in society become more aware on potential damage has on a society, and makes them effectively too busy to commit crime

Question 16

How does Hirschi explain crime occurs

Answer 16

These bonds may increase the risk, but doesn’t explain crime on it’s own. Crime also requires opportunity and whether someone is accepted into a society. Those rejected more likely

Question 17

Evaluation of Hirschi

Answer 17

Assumes these bonds apply to all members of society, fails to explain why some people who arent attached to society dont commit these crimes
Offers little for how crime is caused or types of crime

Question 18

Miller subcultural - main views

Answer 18

Unlike Cohen or Cloward and Ohlin, Miller suggests subcultural norms and values of the wc are not a reaction to blocked oppurtunities
Wc has developed an independent set of norms and values to mainstream society which they can gain status in
This status is mostly appealing to wc males

Question 19

What were Miller’s 6 focal concerns of wc males ( explained)

Answer 19

Excitement - wc crave excitement in leisure time - eg durg usage, sexual encounters and fighting
Toughness - associated with wc seeing masculine charechteristics as gaining status. This leads to assault as they seem it cowardly to not back down
Smartness - street smart , illegal gambling, low level fraud. Also seen as banter
Trouble -wc were aware their lifestyles would lead to trouble, but due to their socialisation, they didn’t care
Autonomy - would often “take matters into their own hand” if they were wronged, shown with low calls from wc areas
Fate - wc males have pessimistic views on their choices in the future, actions today don’t affect their future as it is already set. Eg Willis - leaning to labour
These focal concerns les the wc to deviate as they contrasted with norms and values of mainstream society

Question 20

Evaluation of miller -

Answer 20

Influenced ideas of an “underclass”
Marxists believe this is victim blaming, they only form these due to marginilisation by the elites
Quite narrow and deterministic, assuming all wc males share these values

Question 21

Miller 6 focal concerns - basic

Answer 21

Toughness
Autonomy
Excitedness
Fate
Trouble
Smartness

Question 22

Cohen’s main views

Answer 22

Influenced by merton, agrees crime is a result of blocked oppurtunities (structural inequalities). Believed it was groups however not individuals

Question 23

Cohen’s alternative status hierachy

Answer 23

As they couldn’t gain status legitimatally
They formed illegal subcultures, where criminal crimes was a way to rise in status. These crimes were often non-utilitarian, seen as revenge on the establishment

Question 24

How is the alternate status hierachy different to social norms and values

Answer 24

Delinquency instead of employment
Deviant behaviou instead of hard work
Status awarder for deviance instead of Rewards based upon merit
Chalenge authority instead of being obedient to it

Question 25

Cohen - contemporary applications

Answer 25

Can be used to explain hih % of excluded pupils who go on to commit crime
Crime rates higher amongb pupils with lower grades in school
Crime prevention policies that address status for young males : eg boxing clubs

Question 26

Evaluation of Cohen

Answer 26

Only explains petty crimes
Matza suggests most young people dirft in and out of subcultures

Question 27

Cloward and Ohlin - beliefs

Answer 27

Greater diversity of sibcultures based upon where someone lives
Like Cohen, suggests young people more likely to react to oppurtunities being blocked

Question 28

What did Cloward and Ohlin examine

Answer 28

3 distinct variations of subcultures : criminal, conflict and retreatist

Question 29

What were Cloward and Ohlin’s criminal subcultures

Answer 29

Based in areas with existing criminal subcultures
Young men were groomed to do errands and commit utilitarian crimes, could easily gain status or financial rewards.

Question 30

Conflict subcultures - Cloward and Ohlin

Answer 30

Most likely to develop in areas of transmission(Shaw and Mckay) with not much social solidarity. This leads to the formation of violent gangs, often made from ethnic backgrounds. Displacing their angers from blockages to legitimate success to other gangs

Question 31

Cloward and Ohins - retreatists

Answer 31

Don’t succeed legitimatally or illegally leading to substance abuse

Question 32

Evaluation of Cloward and Ohin

Answer 32

Assumes people subscribe to mainstream views in firast place
Matza, people drift in and out of subcultures

Question 33

What are Hisrchis 4 bonds of attachment unexplained

Answer 33

Commitment
Attachment
Beliefs
Involvement