Functionalist and subcultural theories of crime

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Durkheim's functionalist theory
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Name the quote from Durkheim (1892) about crime (great for intros )
'crime is a normal and integral part of all healthy society'
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Inevitability of crime
(possible 4 markers)
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What's the first reason Durkheim argues crime is inevitable?
Not everyone is socialized effectively into shared norms and values, so some individuals will be prone to deviance
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Whats the second Durkheim argues crime is inevitable?
We live in a complex modern society
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Why does living in a complec modern soceity make crime and devaince invevitable?
There is diversity in lifestyles and values so some memebers of soceity will be in somecultures and be seen as deivent because they don't have mainstream norms and values
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postive funtions of crime (Durkheim)
Boundary maintenance, adaptation, and crime
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Whats the first postive function of crimw acccorsding to Durkheim?
Boundary maintenance
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How does Crime unite society?
Through the condemnation of the wrongdoers
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What does this condemnation reinforce?
their commitment to shared norms and values
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What does Durkheim belive the real function of crime and punsihment is?
To reinforce social solidarity rather than make the culprit suffer or remove crime
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For example, what does the courtroom remind society of?
Right and wrong through stigmatising offenders
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Who believes the media has an important role in reaffirming norms and values?
Cohen (1972)
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In what way does Cohen argue this happens?
Through the medias ' dramatization of evil' and 'folk devils'
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However, why does crim not always strengthen social solidarity and provide an example?
Crime can isolate people from society such as forcing females to stay indoors in fear of attack
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Whats the second postive fucntion of crime?
Adaptation and change
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What does Durkheim believe change starts with ?
Acts of devaince
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How do acts of deviance such as new ideas, values and ways of living cause social change?
Because they challenge exsiting norms
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What does Durkheim argue there need to be in order to make a necessary adaptive change?
Scope (room) to challenge existing norms and values
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Provide an example
Homosexual acts were illegal in the UK until 1967
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Thus what is deviance because it makes necessary changes in the law?
fucntional
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However, What does Durkheim not specify when he argues a certain amount of crime and deviance is necessary and healthy so society can function efficiently?
How much c+D is the right amount
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What may this lead to if there is too much crime and deviance?
an anomie
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Who else has proposed other postive funcgtions of crime?(4 or 6 marker)
Davis (1937), Cohen (1972) and Erikson(1966)
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What is Davis study name?
'safety Valve'
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What type of crime and deviance does Davis believe is necessary?
Prostitution
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What does prostitution act as a safety valve for?
The release of Men's sexual frustation
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What does releasing men's sexual frustration through prostitution help protect?
The nuclear family
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What does he argue there is a conflict with society's need to restrict sex within the family?
a man's need for sexual gratification
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What other thing does Davis argue protect the nuclear family ?
***********
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Why does Davis believe *********** protects the nuclear family?
channels sexual desires away from adultery which would pose a much greater threat to the family
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However, what two this does Davis ignore?
prostitution and *********** is harmful to women and women (and the viewer)
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What does Cohen(1972) believe about deviance?
it is functional
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Why does Cohen believe deviance is functional?
it provides a warning that an institution is not functioning properly
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Provide an example
truancy tells us there are problems in the education system and policymakers need to make the appropriate changes
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What does Eriskson (1966) believe about deviance?
That it is positive
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Why does Erikson argue society puposfully promote deviance?
to keep a 'healthy' balence of crime
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What does Erikson argue the police aim ?
To keep a certain level of crime rather than gert rid of it completly
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Give examples of events that society maintains devaince through
freshers week, protests, demonstrations, festivals
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What does Durkehim not actually look at?
the real causes of crime
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What does he ignore about the victims of crime?
It's not always functional for them
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Merton's strain theory
1938
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What do strain theorists believe people engage in deviant behavior?
to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means(education)
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What does Merton believe deviance is the strain of what 2 things ?
Mainstream goals that a culture encourages to achieve and, what instiutional structure society allows these goals to be acheived legitmatly
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What cultural example does Merton use?
The American Dream
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What does the American Dream tell members of society?
That society meritocratic
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How do they measure success in America?
Money
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Why does The American Dream create pressure to adopt illegitimate means?
Because of the desire to meet mainstream goals and a lack of oppurtunity
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How many types of deviant adaptations in American soceity does Merton explain?
5
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These are the people who accept legitmate goals and means (eg.education, career)
Conformity
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Innovation
Accpet cultural goals but, adopt illegimate means to succeed
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Reject success goals but still lead a legitimate lifestyle (go through the motions)
Ritualism
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Retreatism
Reject cultural goals and legitimate means and drop ou t of mainstream society eg. drink and drugs
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Replace societies cultural goals and institutional means eg. Marxists
rebellion
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However, why is Merton seeing C+D as a W/C issue not a problem ?
Not all W/C people deviate despite being most likely to experience strain
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How does Marxist criticise Merton?
Argue he ignores the power of the R/C and enforces laws in ways that criminalize the poor and not the rich
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Subcultural strain theories
Also a consensus theory, see crime as a product of a deliquent subcultures with different values taht offer lower class solutions to the problem of gaining status by legimate means.
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Why do Subcultural strain theories beleive subcultures are fucntional?
Functional for their members even if they aren't for wider society
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Staus frustration Theory
Cohen (1955)
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Name 1 way Cohen agrees with Merton?
Lower classes' inability to achieve mainstream success goals by legitimate reasons such as education
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Cohens criticsm of Merton
2
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What does Merton ignore?
How much deviance is committed by groups particularly the young
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what type of crime does Meron focus on, what else does he ignore?
Utilitian crime committed for material gain but ignores non-utilitarian crime
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Cohens theory
....
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What group does Cohen focus on their devaicne and why?
W/C - because he claims they face an anomie in education
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What does Cohen argue the cause is for W/C boy s
ending up at the bottom of the hierarchy?
Suffer from cultural deprivation and lack skills for education
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Thus, what do boys suffer form (fancy word)?
Status frustration
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Why do they suffer from status frustration?
because they can't achieve goals legitimately
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Thus, what do they create?
Their own subculture
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Howver, what does Cohen (like Merton) assue about W/C boys
They start off starting the same success goals as the M/C
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Explain this criticism
He ignores they may have never shared these goals so weren't reacting to failure
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Three subcultures
Cloward and Ohlin
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What do they believe the key reason is for different subcultures?
unequal access to illegitimate oppourtunity structures
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What do they note about the cause of utilitarian crimes unlike Merton and Cohen?
not everyone asapts to a lack of legimate means by turing to innovation
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What are the 3 subcultures
Criminal subcultures, conflict subcultures, retreatist subcultures
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What do Criminal subcultues give to youths ?
an apprenticeship in ultilarian crim
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What type of neighborhoods do criminal subcultures arise in?
long-standing, stable, crime culture and professional adult crime hierarchy
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What do these criminal subcultures allow adults to do?
handpick and train the youths
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What can youths do from being apart of these criminal sibcultues (metaphore)?
climb the crime ladder
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Provide an example of a criminal subculture
Triads
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What type of communities do conflict subcultures arise in?
high population and low levels of social cohesion
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What does this prevent?
a stable, professional criminal network
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What do those in conflict subcultures face?
Blocked oppurtunites
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How do conflict subcultures release frustrations of blocked opportunities?
winning turf to gain statues
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What are those in retreast subcultures refered as?
Double failures
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Why?
failed in both illegitimate and legitimate means
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What do they thus turn to?
A retreatist subculture based on illegal drug use
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However, through these different types of subcultures, what does Cloward and Ohlin assume?
there is a value consensus but mainly who 'failed' these mainstream goals may of never had them?
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What is there an overlap of that they ignore?
different subcultures eg, conflict gangs are also involved in different subcultures
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Name the quote from Durkheim (1892) about crime (great for intros )

Back

'crime is a normal and integral part of all healthy society'

Card 3

Front

Inevitability of crime

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What's the first reason Durkheim argues crime is inevitable?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Whats the second Durkheim argues crime is inevitable?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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