Assess that usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime
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- Created on: 13-03-17 16:22
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- Assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches in explaining crime (30 marks)
- Introduction
- Functionalism: Structural consensus theory. Organic analogy. Positive view of crime
- Durkheim
- Boundary Maintenance: Crime & punishment unites society in condemnation of the wrongdoer & reinforces value consensus
- Adaptation & Change: All change begins with an act of deviance e.g. the Civil Rights Movement (sit-ins broke the segregation laws)
- Evaluation
- Too deterministic. Does not always work (E.g. Hondouras; N. Korea)
- Does not take into account victims' perspectives
- Does not explain why certain groups are more prone to crime than others
- Merton
- Strain theory: Society has certain goals (wealth) and accepted means of achieving them. More emphasis on goals than means
- Not everyone can achieve these shared goals by legitimate means (strain)
- 5 reactions: confromity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism & rebellion
- Not everyone can achieve these shared goals by legitimate means (strain)
- Evaluation
- Ignores collective deviance
- Ignores non-utilitarian crime
- Strain theory: Society has certain goals (wealth) and accepted means of achieving them. More emphasis on goals than means
- Subcultural theory
- AK Cohen
- Status frustration: w/c realise they cannot achieve m/c ideals, so they reject them and turn to an alternative opportunity structure
- Criminal, Conflict & Retreatist subcultures
- Evaluation
- Assumes w/c begin by having m/c values
- Ignores women
- Status frustration: w/c realise they cannot achieve m/c ideals, so they reject them and turn to an alternative opportunity structure
- AK Cohen
- Introduction
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