What is the functionalist view of crime and deviance
Functionalists believe that a small amount of crime and deviance is essential to society.
Durkheim believed that crime is essential to generate social, change in society.
crime and deviance can also be dysfunctional for society, due to how it challenges the norms and values of a society.
what is deviance
Things that are seen as unacceptable in society
what is boundary maintenance
It is the view that crimes produces a reaction from society, society’s members learn from wrongdoers and socialise themselves to not commit the crime.
What is the Reductionist theory
Taking something very complicated and simplifying it down to one thing e.g. simplifying crime down to the persons race.
What is the American dream
The American dream is the view that Americans are expected to achieve their goals through meritocratic principles and legitimate means.
What was Merton’s strain theory
The strain theory is the view that members of society engage in deviant behaviours to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means.
What were the Five ways Merton stated that people adapt to strain
Conformism
Ritualism
Retreatism
Innovate
Rebel
Conformity meaning
Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and choose to achieve them legitimately .
Innovation meaning
Individuals accept the goal but choose to achieve them through fraud or theft.
Rebellion meaning
Individuals reject the existing society goals and means but replace them with their own .
Retreatism meaning
Individuals reject both goals and legitimate means and become dropouts
Ritualism meaning
Individuals give up the goal of money and success but have internalised legitimate means and become dropouts
Evaluation of Merton’s theory
It only accounts for unitarian crimes and monetary gains.
It assumes that everyone agrees monetary success is the main goal.
What does Cohen mean by status frustration.
WC boys are not given the opportunities to succeed in this MC society.
These boys then suffer from status frustration and then use illegitimate means to succeed and be recognised by peers.
What is Cloward and Ohlins view on strain theories
They believe that different neighbourhoods shape how individuals socialise themselves into crime:
Criminal subcultures
Conflict Subcultures
Retreatism subcultures
what are criminal subcultures
Criminal Subcultures are the view that the younger generation are given the chance to socialise with older experienced criminals. This gives them the chance to be socialised into criminal subcultures .
What are Conflict subcultures
Arises in areas with high population turnovers, it is easier for the young to commit deviant acts without being caught
What are retreatism subcultures
Where members of society don’t achieve their goals legitimately or illegitimately
What did Miller argue
Miller argue that the lower class has its own independent subculture separate from the mainstream culture with its own values
He believed the lower class did not value success in the first place, so its members are not frustrated by failure
What do labelling theorists believe about crime
They believe deviant acts only become deviant when society labels them as deviant, showing how crime and deviance a social constructs
What are moeal entrepreneurs-Becker
Moral entrepreneurs are those who lead moral crusades to change laws
What are the 2 effects that moral entreprenurs cause
-It creates a new group of ‘outsiders’
-The creation of new social control agencies to change the laws
What leads to people getting labelled
-Their interactions of socioal control.
-Their appearance, background, and personal biography
What did Pivilan and Brior find
They found that the polices decisons to arrest people were based on physicial apperance
