Crime and Deviance
Functionalist, Strain and Subcultural theories
Keywords:
Anomie - Normlessness, created by rapid social change as
existing norms become unclear and allow for them to change.
Value consensus - members of society share a common
culture or norms and values producing social solidarity
Deviant – Behaviour which is seen as unacceptable/against the
norm.
Conformity – Continuing to work hard and persevering even
though the goals may be very hard to reach.
Innovation – By creating new ways to achieve the goals, often
deviant such as stealing.
Ritualism- The person loses sight of the goals and accepts they
won't achieve them (non-deviant)
Retreatism – Rejection of the goals and the ways to achieve
the goals of society. May be deviant, the person gives up and
stops contributing to society (may turn to drugs).
Rebellion – Goals and means are rejected so they turn to rebel
against those that have made it hard to achieve them (often the
government or jobs) likely to be deviant and violent. Often part
of movements and protests.
Meritocratic – When people are rewarded after working hard.
Utilitarian crime – Crime committed for material gain. (theft)
Non-Utilitarian crime – Crime committed for no gain (rape,
assault etc)
Blocked opportunities – When some people don’t have access
to things that others do (high-quality education, poverty, lack of
resources)
,Criminal subcultures - A group of people who share criminal
values and norms and engage in behaviours considered criminal
by society.
Deviant career – Those who work in crime, often because of
getting involved with other deviant people in their community.
Conflict subcultures – Those involved in unorganised gangs
involved in ‘turf’ wars. Often carry knives and operate in violent
crimes against opposing gangs. These arise in areas with a high
population turnover where a stable criminal group can develop.
Retreatism subcultures – People who give up on trying to
achieve society's goals and fall away from society. They no
longer contribute to society.
Double Failures – Those who fail to achieve the goals of
society legitimately and illegitimately
Informal social control: The consensus of people not
committing crime. Nothing is stopping them, but people
mutually agree to not commit crimes. Due to how people are
socialised.
Formal social control: public services made to stop crime such
as police and the law system
Meritocratic – Being rewarded for working hard. Americans
believe their society is so that by working hard they can achieve
the American dream. But it is not.
Official status hierarchy - a system that ranks people in a
society based on their social position or rank and is officially
recognized. Working-class boys are at the bottom and reject it.
They create.
Alternate status hierarchy – Where their values are the
opposite of mainstream societies, and they gain status through
violence and delinquency.
Deviant career – Where someone’s line of work aligns with
criminal activity. Often drug dealing or being part of gangs. They
do not add to society legally.
,Key names:
- Durkheim – Crime is inevitable in society and has positive
functions.
- Farrington and West – Study on factors of delinquency.
Criminal parents.
- Merton – Strain causes crime, blocked opportunity, myth of
meritocracy.
- Hirschi – Bonds of attachment to society determine people's
crime rate.
Cohen – Status frustration. Gaining status through illegitimate
means.
Cloward and Ohlin – Three Subcultural Responses: Criminal,
conflict and retreatist.
A structural and consensus theory, crime is looked at
through the social structures of society.
Society is based on a value consensus; members of
society share a common culture or norms and values
producing social solidarity.
To maintain this social solidarity:
Socialisation, mainly at school and in the family allows
children to learn what is right and wrong and how to behave
in society.
Social control, rewards and sanctions for behaviour ensure
that individuals behave the way society expects.
Durkheim’s functionalist theory
Crime is inevitable
1. People are socialised differently (not always as effectively as
one another) in different cultures and therefore will have
different views. There will never be a universal agreement
on something. Therefore, there is always a chance of crime
as people act against the norms as they don’t agree.
, 2. There is a difference of lifestyles and values. What members
of one subculture may see to be normal, mainstream
society may see it as deviant.
Positive functions of crime
1. Crime allows for change or norms and values. If an act is
committed that people realise they see as deviant, the act
is not seen as criminal and therefore not accepted, allowing
for norms and values to change over time. This time of
anomie allows norms to change. Eg: Women getting to vote.
2. It shows people what is right and wrong. As there are
punishments for committing deviant acts, people are less
likely to do them and are made to behave the way society
wants them to. It keeps most people in line and abiding to
societies norms and values.
Other functions of crime
- Durkheim said that too much crime creates
anomie/normlessness and can lead to a dysfunctional society.
Eg: in the 2011 riots, people didn’t work, lots of violence.
- The function of social control agencies such as the police is to
maintain a certain level of crime not to rid society of it as it
allows society to change and adapt.
- Crimes such as prostitution release male sexual frustration.
Criticisms of Durkheim/Functionalism
1. Hard to know the right amount of crime is good for society.
The right amount is when society is still functioning
normally, but things are changing as a response to crime.
2. Crime is dysfunctional for the victim. Victims are impacted
hugely in a negative way, which may create more issues if
Functionalist, Strain and Subcultural theories
Keywords:
Anomie - Normlessness, created by rapid social change as
existing norms become unclear and allow for them to change.
Value consensus - members of society share a common
culture or norms and values producing social solidarity
Deviant – Behaviour which is seen as unacceptable/against the
norm.
Conformity – Continuing to work hard and persevering even
though the goals may be very hard to reach.
Innovation – By creating new ways to achieve the goals, often
deviant such as stealing.
Ritualism- The person loses sight of the goals and accepts they
won't achieve them (non-deviant)
Retreatism – Rejection of the goals and the ways to achieve
the goals of society. May be deviant, the person gives up and
stops contributing to society (may turn to drugs).
Rebellion – Goals and means are rejected so they turn to rebel
against those that have made it hard to achieve them (often the
government or jobs) likely to be deviant and violent. Often part
of movements and protests.
Meritocratic – When people are rewarded after working hard.
Utilitarian crime – Crime committed for material gain. (theft)
Non-Utilitarian crime – Crime committed for no gain (rape,
assault etc)
Blocked opportunities – When some people don’t have access
to things that others do (high-quality education, poverty, lack of
resources)
,Criminal subcultures - A group of people who share criminal
values and norms and engage in behaviours considered criminal
by society.
Deviant career – Those who work in crime, often because of
getting involved with other deviant people in their community.
Conflict subcultures – Those involved in unorganised gangs
involved in ‘turf’ wars. Often carry knives and operate in violent
crimes against opposing gangs. These arise in areas with a high
population turnover where a stable criminal group can develop.
Retreatism subcultures – People who give up on trying to
achieve society's goals and fall away from society. They no
longer contribute to society.
Double Failures – Those who fail to achieve the goals of
society legitimately and illegitimately
Informal social control: The consensus of people not
committing crime. Nothing is stopping them, but people
mutually agree to not commit crimes. Due to how people are
socialised.
Formal social control: public services made to stop crime such
as police and the law system
Meritocratic – Being rewarded for working hard. Americans
believe their society is so that by working hard they can achieve
the American dream. But it is not.
Official status hierarchy - a system that ranks people in a
society based on their social position or rank and is officially
recognized. Working-class boys are at the bottom and reject it.
They create.
Alternate status hierarchy – Where their values are the
opposite of mainstream societies, and they gain status through
violence and delinquency.
Deviant career – Where someone’s line of work aligns with
criminal activity. Often drug dealing or being part of gangs. They
do not add to society legally.
,Key names:
- Durkheim – Crime is inevitable in society and has positive
functions.
- Farrington and West – Study on factors of delinquency.
Criminal parents.
- Merton – Strain causes crime, blocked opportunity, myth of
meritocracy.
- Hirschi – Bonds of attachment to society determine people's
crime rate.
Cohen – Status frustration. Gaining status through illegitimate
means.
Cloward and Ohlin – Three Subcultural Responses: Criminal,
conflict and retreatist.
A structural and consensus theory, crime is looked at
through the social structures of society.
Society is based on a value consensus; members of
society share a common culture or norms and values
producing social solidarity.
To maintain this social solidarity:
Socialisation, mainly at school and in the family allows
children to learn what is right and wrong and how to behave
in society.
Social control, rewards and sanctions for behaviour ensure
that individuals behave the way society expects.
Durkheim’s functionalist theory
Crime is inevitable
1. People are socialised differently (not always as effectively as
one another) in different cultures and therefore will have
different views. There will never be a universal agreement
on something. Therefore, there is always a chance of crime
as people act against the norms as they don’t agree.
, 2. There is a difference of lifestyles and values. What members
of one subculture may see to be normal, mainstream
society may see it as deviant.
Positive functions of crime
1. Crime allows for change or norms and values. If an act is
committed that people realise they see as deviant, the act
is not seen as criminal and therefore not accepted, allowing
for norms and values to change over time. This time of
anomie allows norms to change. Eg: Women getting to vote.
2. It shows people what is right and wrong. As there are
punishments for committing deviant acts, people are less
likely to do them and are made to behave the way society
wants them to. It keeps most people in line and abiding to
societies norms and values.
Other functions of crime
- Durkheim said that too much crime creates
anomie/normlessness and can lead to a dysfunctional society.
Eg: in the 2011 riots, people didn’t work, lots of violence.
- The function of social control agencies such as the police is to
maintain a certain level of crime not to rid society of it as it
allows society to change and adapt.
- Crimes such as prostitution release male sexual frustration.
Criticisms of Durkheim/Functionalism
1. Hard to know the right amount of crime is good for society.
The right amount is when society is still functioning
normally, but things are changing as a response to crime.
2. Crime is dysfunctional for the victim. Victims are impacted
hugely in a negative way, which may create more issues if
