Functionalism and Crime

• Crime = relative to time and place
• Example - illegal to shoot heroin in UK but legal for prescribed users in Netherlands

• Functional - strengthens social bonds & makes boundaries known - Example - unite in disapproval
• Inevitable - not all equally committed to norms - Example - illegally downloading songs
• Normal - no society exists without crime
• Anomie - high levels of crime - normlessness

Criticism - feminists - if crime is normal - legitimises ****

Criticism - can be seen to help society - Rosa Parks / Nelson Mandela

Criticises Durkheim - anomie - disjunction between society and means of achieving

• Conformists, Innovators, Rebels, Ritualists and Retreatists
• Innovators - agree with goals - unable to achieve - resort to crime (theft)

Criticism - does not explain vandalism / fighting

Working Class boys - cannot achieve - create delinquent norms and subculture

• Low position in social structure - material and cultural deprivation - result of educational failure

Criticism - too much emphasis on working class, what about middle class crime?

Contrast with Cohen - why some commit crime and some commit violence?

• Criminal, Conflict and Retreatist
• Conflict - males unable to achieve - frustrated and angry - resort to gang violence - gain status

Criticism - neglect 3 could overlap - conflict group could sell drugs to get money and respect

Poor socialisation causes crime

• Institutions - religion, media, education, family - create moral confusion among youth
• New Right agree - Wilson & Herrnstein - adequate socialisation needed to prevent crime

Criticism - Interactionists - should be based on human interaction

Criticism - Anderson - crime = due to extra male chromosome

Youth drift - following conventionqal values of society to own subterranean values - dual system - normative confusion

Criticism - Interactionists - some do not fall into this cycle