Functionalist, strain and subcultural theories

Crime is a normal, universal, integral part of society = suggests a healthy society. 

Crime is inevitable = 1) Individuals are exposed to different issues and circumstances;  they're not equally committed to shared values and beliefs. 

2) Complex modern society - diversity of lifestyles and values; different groups develop their own subcultures.

Anomie - rules governing behaviour become less clear cut and weaker, weakening the collective consicence, increasing deviance.

Positive functions of crime - Boundary maintenance: Crime unites society by condemnation of the wrongdoer, reinforcing commitment to norms and values. Adaptation and change: Individuals must be able to challenge and change existing norms and values, allowing culture and morality to evolve in society.

It shows useful purposes of crime. 

It doesn't state to what extent crime is positive. 

Deviance is a result of strain when one cannot achieve legitimately. - American Dream, monetary gain and legitimate success through work and education. 

2 elements - Structural factors and cultural factors: Poverty and discrimination blocking oppurtunities to achieve legitimately. 

Conformity: goals and means.

Innovation: goals and means. 

Ritualism: goals and means. 

Retreatism: rejected goals and rejected means. 

Rebellion: replaced goals and replaced means. 

It shows that deviant behaviour can arise from mainstream goals.

It ignores that the r/c make the laws on how to achieve legitimately. 

Regular jobs aren't available but illegal ones are with illegal means. 

Criminal Subculture: established adult crime pattern, present illegitimate oppurtunity structure, criminal role models, criminal hierarchy -> success and monetary gain. 

Conflict Subculture: Illegitimate oppurtunity structure is absent - prevents crime, young men frustrated and start/join gangs to gain respct and status in peers eyes, low level of social cohesion, high turnover population. 

Retreatism Subculture: Double failing both conflict and criminal subculuture. Illegal drug use. 

It shows that not all deviance is for monetary gain. 

It boxes up the subculture and ignores that sometimes the subcultures overlap. 

W/c adolescents are described as failures by the wider society, frustrated by low status and respect. 

Solution: Due to shared problems they develop deviant solutions and create their own subcultures. Their norms and values differ to that of mainstream society and turn them upside down. Behaviour respected by their peers is behaviour that is condemned in society as it relieves their frustration.

Their deviant behaviour involves, Non-ulitarian crimes - not deviated to monetary gain, they gain status in eachother eyes by performing deviant acts to hit back at society that denied them the oppurtunity to succeed. 

Shows not all deviance is for monetary gain. 

Ignore free will - not all w/c adolescents are deviants.

Focal concerns can be linked to delinquency. 

The lower class males are socialised into a particular set of norms and values thathe calls focal concerns. These include toughness, excitment and fatalism. It is passed through generations. Arising from experiences in low skilled labour. 

The lower class has its own independent subculture seperate from the mainstream culture, with its own values. This subculture doesn't value success, so its members aren't frustrated by failure. 

Deviancy arises out of an attempt to achieve own goals instead of mainstream goals. 

Matza - Most deliquents aren't strongly commited to their subculture, but drift in and out of it. They don't have different goals to mainstream society they just have different ways to achieve them.

What about lower class females who are deliquent? That aren't socialised into these 'masculine' norms and values?