Weaknesses A03

Question 1

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Answer 1

× W1. It doesn’t explain individual motivations & Durkheim fails to explain why only some people commit crime. This is criticised by labelling theorists who take a micro, social action approach to criminal behaviour and do look at individual motivations.

× W2. It is not clear at what point the ‘right’ amount of crime (necessary & beneficial) becomes ‘too much’ (creating disorder & instability).

× W3. It wrongly assumes consensus & harmony, & that the law reflects the interests of the majority, in doing so it ignores the issue of power. Marxists challenge the functionalist assumption that laws usually reflect pubic consensus & protect the rights of the majority. Marxists, labelling theorists & left realists would also point to the often negative influence of formal agents of social control such as the police.

Question 2

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Answer 2

× W4. Functionalism looks at what functions crime serves for society as a whole but ignores how it might affect different groups or individuals within society, i.e. crime obviously isn’t functional for its victims which is a point both left & right realists would make.

× W5. Functionalism mistakenly does not see the definition of crime & deviance as problematic. Labelling theory suggests that crime & deviance are socially constructed and therefore their definitions should always be questioned. Crime & deviance are relative – they change depending on time, place & culture.

× W6. Functionalism wrongly takes official statistics at face value – it mistakenly assumes they are valid but victim surveys show us through the ‘dark figure of crime’ that a huge number of crimes are not reported or recorded through official statistics.