Functionalist Explanations of Crime
Sociology: AQA GCSE, topic 4.3.9
Functionalist Explanations of Crime
Functionalists believe that crime is inevitable as not everyone can abide by the norms and values that are set out by the society.
Functionalism and crime
- Functionalists believe that crime performs a function by setting boundaries between acts that are seen as desirable and those that are not.
- Durkheim suggests that the reason crime is still taking place is because it is ‘an integral part of all healthy societies’; if it wasn't it would cease to exist.
The functions of crime
- Boundaries and values:
- The publicity of a crime and the repercussions of a criminal act are always there to remind the rest of society what will happen to them if they cross the boundaries.
- Public response to a crime can cause governments to pass new laws.
The functions of crime cont.
- Social cohesion:
- When crimes take place society comes together in shared outrage and this strengthens their bonds.
- Deviant behaviour as a ‘safety valve’:
- Functionalists believe that deviant acts can release social pressures. Instead of committing a crime, people commit a minor deviant act.
Strain theory, Merton
- Merton believed that people turn to crime because they have experienced a strain as they can’t achieve the goals set from society via acceptable ways.
- If they can’t find any acceptable ways that will lead to anomie, i.e. the breakdown of norms.
Subculture theory, Cohen
- Cohen extended Merton’s theory.
- He believed that working-class youths experience status frustration as they can’t get what their middle-class counterparts have.
- Those youths are replacing the mainstream norms with deviant ones which gives them the status that they can’t gain by achieving the shared goals via accepted ways.
Criticisms of functionalists
- Functionalists argue that people share the same values and have the same interests.
- This though isn’t always happening, and this is when societies experience higher levels of crime than the functional one.
Test yourself on Functionalist Explanations of Crime
Who suggested that the crime is ‘an integral part of all healthy societies’?