Functionalism and Crime

• crime is a normal aspect of society
• not every member of society is equally commited to the collective sentiments 

 The two causes of crime and deviance are;

• not everyone is equally and effectively socialised into shared norms and values 
• diversity in lifestyle and values

Boundary Maintenance 

• modern society is in anomie 
• behaviour is governed weakly 
• the collective conciousness is weakned 
• punishment shows condemnation of a wrongdoer and shows commitment to norms and calues thus reaffirming rules 

Adaption and Change

• change starts with an act of deviance 
• this gives people a chance to challenge norms 
• too much deviance threatens the consensus in society 
• too little deviance means that society is repressing and controlling its members too much 

Evaluation

• shows that crime is integral
• assumes norms and values are universal
• doesnt see deviance as problematic 
• doesnt examine how the justice system works 
• ignores free will 

• we are blocked from achieving sucess by lawful means 
• there is a strain between socially acceped goals and socially approved means of achieving them 
• explains crime in a structural manner, not everyone has an equal chance of success and this leads to anomie 

American Culture 

• there is a cultural goal of meterial success and lack of opportunity to attain it 
• 'strain to anomie'

5 adaptations 

• conformity, not making it, still striving for success
• innovation, turning to deviance,cheating on a test 
• ritualism, losing sight of the goal, teachers
• retreatism, lose sight of the goal and the means to achieve, drug addicts
• rebellion, goals and means are rejected and then replaced, terrorism  

• early structural attempt
• moved away from psychological and physiological beginnings
• supports official stats
• too much emphasis on stats 
• too deterministic 
• doesnt acknowledge collective crime 
• doesnt explain crime for non monetry gain 

• cirtises Merton 
• instead of turning to crime beause opportunities are blocked, people channel their frustration into outlets 
• subcultues invert normal norms and values and allow deviance to become normal 
• structural theory 

Cohen 

• working class boys 
• the boys rejected mainstream middle class values in education 
• respect is inverted, truancy and disrespect is now normal and good 
• alternative hierarchy 

Evaluation

• explains non utilitarian crime like fighting and vandalism
• assumes that everyones starts with the same values

• not everyone who experiences frustration responds with innovation 
• different subcultures act differently 

The 3 Subcultures 

• The criminal subculture - occurs in areas with criminal activity, provides an illigitimate opportunity structures, leads to proffesional crime 
• The Conflict subculture - occurs in areas with a high turnover population, leads to people becoming angry and leads to gang violdence and earning status this way
• The Retreatist subculture - occurs with double failures, they can not achieve success legitametely or illegitametly and leads to retreat into alcohol or drugs 

Evaluation

• develops Merton and Cohen 
• ignores overlaps
• some retreatist subcultures are successful

• explains strong links between failure and crime 
• explains juvenille crime 
• explains non utilitarian crime
• has limited reach 
• has difficulty in explaining why those who are frustrated dont resort to utilitarian crime 
• doesnt explain the many people who do not turn to crime despite being frustrated