functionalist theories of crime and deviance

Durkheim: anomie

Hirschi's: 'Bonds of Attachment'

Merton: strain theory

in times of social change there is a weaker 'collective conscience' of shared norms and values

anomie can be expressed not only through crime but suicide, marital breakdown and industrial disputes

anomie= insufficiently integrated into societies norms and values, causing society to be more individualistic, less cohesion and consensus

crime can be: normal, universal and functional

Involvement- how integrated are we that we neither have the time nor inclination to behave in a deviant/ criminal manner

Belief- how committed are individuals to upholding societies laws and rules

Commitment- personal investment we put into our lives

Attachment- extent to which we care about other people's desires or opinions

altered 'anomie' to mean when a society where there is a disjunction between between means and goals

being blocked from achieving goals through legitimate means leads to deviance

recognised importance of shared goals and values of society, 'the American dream' yet also recognises that not everyone has same opportunities

anomic paradigm: ritualism, retreatism, conformity, innovation, rebellion

eval

can explain diff patterns in deviance (innovators and retreatists)

his work became a direct inspiration to subcultural theories

LAURIE TAYLOR- 'fruit machine theory of crime'

as a functionalist he cannot explain where the rules come from in the first place

explains why individuals conform to societies norms and values, low attachment to these values increases likelihood of deviance