Believe wanted
society to
cannot exist without
CLOWARD
Merton AND
explain
crime. Due toininequality
whyOHLIN-3 DEVIANT
Evaluation:
crime was mainly committed by
functionalist
SUBCULTURES
poorer areas/
reasons STRAIN THEORY
FUNCTIONALIST Agree (FUNCTIONALISM)
with Merton
PERSPECTIVE that people
ONhave unequal C&D
CRIME C&D
access to
communities the USA. (including legitimate opportunity structure.
C&D
meritocracy) and because not everyone for crime. Go further
Can explain crime and deviance by theand saysocieties
way people have unequal
are socially access to social
organised-
ILLEGITIMATE
isMERTONS
OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURES:
effectively socialised. -All know racism as EVALUATION OF MERTONS STRAIN THEORY:
STRAIN THEORY structures . Crime= caused illegitimate opportunities structures as well. theory.
Argued that if young working-class
Inadequate Inequality people arenobody
wrong, denied access to legitimate-Marxists: ignoresby society.
how Functionalism
laws criminalise is a and
the poor structuralist
not the rich.
Merton concluded Americans were socialised into believing
socialised to think
in the -only explains
opportunities e.g.,
socialisation jobs, they may turn to illegitimate opportunity structures. But utilitarian crime and not crimes that aren’t economically
American dream through cultural institutions e.g., mass media= consensus Durkheim
EVALUATION: on deviance:
their Anti-social
access to these dependsThefton whetherdifferently.
these deviant subcultures exist in
motivated.
their
existed
Drugs,
on what peoples goals
knife crime
should be-does
Burglary
success and material
not explain why wealth.
Organic analogy
-Mertonof society:-Doesn’t
various
underestimates organs
crimes (institutions)
done why
explain by upper
girlsclass had
reactwho to same
function
aren’t
in the affected
waysbyas
area. Identify three deviant subcultures/
Inequal access to these goals. There was arich (IOS).
strain between
commit socially correctly for whole body (society)
crimes. strain between goals & means.
boys when to function.
also denied access to these same structures.
Stealing Begging
encouraged -doesacceptable
not explain means -Valier: Merton
crimes to Although Excessive exaggerates
deviance= importance
an unhealthy andofdysfunctional
money. Peoples goals may
society, be forisjob
deviance
Racismgoals
1. Criminal
of society
subcultures:
and the socially
Fraud
relating to things other satisfaction rather than gaining money.
achieve them. PeoplePhysical
Violence socialised to believe that to achieve American functional, normal, and inevitable.
protests. -only focus Suggested
on males deviance has following
and working-class functions:
crime ignoring
Young people may be recruited into organised
than money. types of criminal subcultures or other class and gender.
domestic
dream abuse
you had to work hard as society was a meritocracy. People made
networks e.g., mafia. = resemble businesses which young people canBoundary
be COHENS Maintenance: positive function of uniting society, reinforce
promoted
various adaptations in response to the strain and likely lead to crime, collective conscience. Punishment STRAIN THEORY
upwards if they impress. Results in material success. Develop in more stable for breaking law reaffirms value consensus
RESEARCHERS Davis 1937 : deviance as a safety valve: Develops
adaptations were based on accepting/ rejecting means and/or goals. and public faith in social consensus C&O Merton’s strain
-Marshall: theory: whyhave
may groups commit crimes
exaggerated, criminal e.g.,
working-class areasprostitution=
with shownpositive
patternsfunction
of crime. (law). boundary between acceptable and
Durkheim “allows non-utilitarian (e.g., vandalism).
opportunities Focusestoon
available subcultures.
youth.
deviant behaviour is clear; discourages offending behaviour. Sarah Everard
Most youths never
DavisFor example: Most men well-known
to express criminal network: Kray
sexual frustrations withoutgang in south London come into contact with subcultures, hang out in
Polsky1960’s. Case.Juvenile delinquency: caused by strain. young working-class boys
threatening nuclear family E.g., informal and disorganised groups called “crews.”
Erikson SocialmainChange:goal adaptation
is for statusand and
change: organic process of social change started
respect.
prostitution in Red Light district Incidental anti-social behaviour not crime, caused by
2. Conflict Subcultures: by society
-middle responding
class positively
boys get to through
this deviant behaviour
educational slowly deviant
attainment & parents
Amsterdam. drunkenness not subcultural pressures.
Inner city areas (socially disorganised) dominated by territorial street -gangs behaviour becomes normal leading to changes in law e.g., homosexuality,
Working class: denied this, parents don’t equip them with skills
(conflict subcultures) engage in highly masculinised abortion, and divorce.
Polsky (1967): pornography safely violence. Lack of social
needed, placed in -Don’t bottominclude
sets. Deviants
white collardo crime
conform to norms and
cohesion sometimes“channels”
organisedvariety
by young people.
of sexual Loosely organised. values, but they areEvaluation
desires different from society.
of Durkheim:
E.g., Postcode warsdeterring from alternative serious sexual -Postcrime
-Realists (right & left): criticise modernist such&asfunctional.
as normal Katz say that delinquency
Crime is a real is
2011-2014: 6600 crimes offencesand twenty-four
e.g., adultery. murders committed byproblem gang members
for victiminand society= not part of subcultures
sociologists shouldbut individualistic
inform policy makesand on how to
London alone. Argued
prevent crime. working class boys often
spontaneous/free. failed=poor
Fuelled by access
excitement to good
and adrenalin
Erikson (1966): police are designed to -Marxistseducation and jobfails
argue Durkheim asopportunities
a result
to say of status
the risk
where frustration.
of being
consensus caught.
comes from and lowwhostatus in
create and maintain crime rather than school.
benefits most. LawsResponses=
made by state=forming subcultures
benefits leading
ruling class, to gangs
ideology/ with a in
hegemony
3. Retreatist subcultures:
stop access
it completely. E.G., speeding reverse
interest of of mainstream
capitalism, ratherRESEARCHER values.
than there Things
being value deviant
consensusand thattaboo
benefitswere
society.
Those that fail to gain to either criminal or conflict subcultures, form
Merton believed the strain led RESEARCHER -Durkheim doesn’t consider
praiseworthy why
goodsome
and Cloward inandindividuals/groups
the subculture. commit crime and others
Retreatist subcultures,Merton
to poor experiencing state of
major activities include drug use and alcoholism.do not.
Emerges
Ohlin
anomie:inform
lower class youth. double
of moral Cohen failures, EVALUATION:
failed in mainstream society and
Neglects in crime
effect of crime on victims:
Warburton e.g.,
et rape
al doesn’t benefit society.
andand
frustration gang culture. PaidValier by petty theft, Paul
shoplifting
Willis:and
WC prostitution.
youth don’t have same definitionMarshall of status as middle class; The Lads saw
Warburton
disappointment. et al:at existence
Eroding Paulof a heroin educational
Willis “scene” in most
failuremajor cities, addicts
as ‘success’ commit
as qualifications were
Katz not necessary for the jobs they wanted.
their commitment to
majority of inner-city crimesMiller (shoplifting burglary)
Miller: arguestoworking
finance habit.
class juvenile delinquency isn’t from strain but acting out of WC culture,
consensus and order leading
e.g., heightened masculinity and trouble.
them to develop one of the
five behaviours (above table) Feminists: ignores female delinquency.
