Crime and Deviance 1

CRIME, DEVIANCE, SOCIAL ORDER AND SOCIAL CONTROL 

Functionalism 

• Durkheim
  • Crime is inevitable, and integral part of healthy societies. 
  • Crime is only dysfunctional to society when rates are excessivly high. Criminal behaviour is functional as it can help to sustain conformity and stability. 
  • Crime is essential to the continuation of society as it gives communities to reassert standards.
  • Crime is necessary to create change. 
  • Criticisms: Taylor, Walton and Young- crime could not be functional for society, it was only the publication of crimes which united societies. Vague in identifying which crimes beneficial to society. 
• Merton- Strain Theory 
  • Stability in society is based on a consensus of values- however not everyone is in a position to share these and this can lead to deviance. 
  • We have culturally defined goals- such as material success, but more importance is placed on achieving them than the ways in which they are achieved. 
  • This may lead to innovators adapting illegitimate ways to reach sucess 
  • Critiscms: Taylor (Marxist) these cultural goals benefit the ruling class alone, as people become so obsessed with sucess that they fail to question the capitalist system. 

Subcultural theories 

• Albert Cohen (functionalist)
  • Gang cultures with strong normas and rules of behaviour. High value placed on behaviour which offers instant gratification, rather than any overall financial gain. 
  • In WC males failure in school leads to the formation of gang cultures. 
  • WC members suffer 'status frustration' and develop values opposing society, therfore they may commit devient acts to have 'revenge' on a society which does not value them. 
• Miller (functionalist)
  • WC males have a lack of role models who are able to show them economic power or earning potential. Therefore they find masculity and fun in law breaking activities. 
  • Fatalistic belief that nothing can be done to alter their situation justifies criminal behaviour. 
  • Direct conflict with MC culture. 
• Cloward and Ohlin (functionalists)
  • There is an illigitamate oppurtunity structure which presents itself within crime- allowing the achievement of societies goals.
  • Three types of subculture:
    • Criminalisation of subcultures- petty crime to aquire goods
    • Conflict subcultures- status from fighting, may involve gang territorial conflicts
    • Retreatist subcultures- centre on drugs 
• Brake (marxist) 
  • Resistance to capitalism in WC subcultures- aware of their position in capitalist society. 
  • Subcultures are an illusion which appear to solve problems. Eg Phil Cohan 'skinhead' study which was a magical recreation of WC culture. 
• Murray (new right)
  • Attributes growth in crime to the existance of an underclass- who possess criminal values. 
  • Believes this group is growing as a result of single parenthood, and an overgenerous welfare system. 
• Nightingale 
  • Studied young black WC males in Philadelphia. 
  • Subculture arises from a desire to be a part of a mainstream society which marginalises them. 
  • Therefore response is to identify themselves with wider cultures- eg by aquiring popular goods, without worry of how these goods may be obtained. 
• Critique of subcultural theory
• Matza
  • All groups in society possess 'subterranean values' which have devient tendancies. Most people are able to control these desires and they will only rarely emerge. Argues that…