Sociology- Crime and Deviance Theories

Durkheim- Crime is Functional, in moderation.

1.     Boundary Maintenance- demonstrates right and wrong. Helps increases social solidarity and value consensus, it creates togetherness after a crime.

2.     Adaption & change- can lead to adaptions and changes to laws and policies, which help the populace (e.g. suffragettes)

3.     Safety Valve- a safe outlet for tension and frustration e.g., Prostitution allows men to let off stress in a safe way.

4.     Warning device- acts as a sign that institutions are failing e.g. Jamie Bulger showed a weakness in the education system (Truancy)

Problems: Too rose tinted, doesn't consider class, gender ext, too general, how much crime does help?

Gordon- Criminogenic Capitalism. Capitalism causes crime, get rid of capitalism, we will get rid of crime. It causes the poor to commit crime to survive and because of anger and frustration with exploitation. It incourages greed and so leads to upper classes crime ‘Dog eat dog’ world. Winning no matter what. Invisibility of crimes. 

3.     State and Law Making- only serve the interests of upper classes. Bourgeoisie create the laws to protect their interests. ‘The rich get richer, the poor get prison’ (Reiman).

4.     Selective enforcement- powerless groups are over-criminalised and crimes of the powerful are ignored.

5.     Ideological functions of crime and the law- Laws are a ‘smokescreen’ appear to benefit the working class (e.g. health and safety) but these laws are an illusion, they benefit capitalism.

Problems- too negative, does not consider gender, crime does exist in non capitalist societies 

 Women are treated harshly by the Criminal Justice System because it is patriacrhal.

They face secondary victimisation- they are blamed by courts and media for being a target of crime  (victim blaming).

2.     Mad and bad theory- when committing a crime, women are portrayed as ‘mad’ or ‘bad’ as they are not following gender steriotypes.

3.    Doubly Deviant- women who commit crimes are seen as bad for committing crime but worse for going against their gender expectations 

4.     Ladettes- rise in female crime as they take on laddish behaviours such as binge drinking, fighting and anti-social behaviour.

Problems- ignores the fact that far fewer women commit crimes than men, and can have lighter sentances because of their gender. 

Becker- Deviance in in the ‘eye of the beholder’. We label groups as more or less criminal.

1.     Typical criminal- some groups fit the common typification of the typical criminal and they are perceived as more criminal.

2.     Moral entrepreneurs- the people in society with the power to attach labels and enforce them (increased stop and searches ext)

3.     Self-fulfilling Prophecy- once labelled and treated as a criminal, they then internalise it and become the label, it becomes their ‘master status’

4.     Negotiation of Justice- some people have the power and ability to avoid labels being attached and avoid the consequences, meaning law is not successfully enforced.

Problems- makes criminals victims, deterministic, ignores primary deviance