topic 3 — Functionalist Explanations Of Crime Flashcards
What do functionalists believe about crime?
Try to find a social explanation for crime levels, believing that structures influence our behaviour as society is based on consenus
Emile Durkheim on crime
Crime = inevitable
Positive (and negative) functions of crime in society
Positive:
1. Reaffirms social boundaries (court hearings and news reinforce the rules)
2. Safety valve
3. Changing values (J.S. Mill)
4. Strengthens solidarity against crime and deviance
Negative:
Too much crime weakens collective conscience (anomie, breakdown of norms): 2011 riots escalated into looting and arson, police deployed on a mass scale
Merton 1938 on crime
Strain theory: ppl turn to crime when under strain between society’s goals and the means of achieving them
Strain between American Dream and legitimate means of achieving them (through merit etc)
Five possible adaptations:
1. Conformity
2. Innovation (criminal eg venkatesh)
3. Ritualism (deviating but rejecting goal of success but doesn’t change it, eg person in a dead end job who doesn’t aim higher)
4. Retreatism (rejects the goal of success via illegitimate means e.g. alcoholic, drug taker, homeless person)
5. Rebellion (rebelling against goals of success e.g. Martin Luther king, Karl Marx)
Cloward and Ohlin on crime
working class youth more likely to have PARALLEL OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE:
—> ILLEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE
WC have more pressure than MC to deviate from mainstream norms bc LESS LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY.
—> criminal subcultures r functional bc they provide opportunity.
Illegal opportunity structure has three subcultures:
1. Criminal (thieving local criminal community)
2. Conflict (no career opportunities, violence, gang warfare)
3. Retreatist (individual response with no access to other two subcultures, “double failure”. alcoholism, excessive drug use)
Venkatesh
Gang Leader for a Day (drug-dealing 🍃 gang)
— functional for members 👍
—> gave them a job w pay, promotion, protection, purpose 😁
OUTLAW CAPITALISM
