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Sociological theories and Policies - Coggle Diagram
Sociological theories and Policies
functionalism - Durkheim
sees society as a stable structure based on shared norms, values and beliefs about what is right and wrong
functions of crime
boundary maintenance = unites society's members against the wrongdoer, reminding them of the boundary between right and wrong and reaffirming their shared values
social change = for society to progress, individuals with new ideas must challenge existing norms and values and at first this will be seen as deviance
safety valve = to protect other institutions in society
warning light = deviance indicates an institution isn't working properly
fucntionalism - merton's strain theory
the root cause of crime lies in the unequal structure of society
society values money success or wealth as the goal people should pursue and tells them they should achieve this through legitimate means such as heard work at school etc
not everyone has an equal opportunity of achieving success because society is unequal
adaptations to strain
innovation - accept goals but find illegal means of achieving them, usually from a lower social class
ritualism - give up striving for success, they plod along in a dead end job but will obey rules and law
retreatism - they are drop outs who reject both goals and means of achieving them
rebellion - reject existing goals and means in society, replacing them with new ones with the aim of changing society
subcultural theories
are groups who's norms
Albert Cohen - status frustration
believes that because most working class boys can't achieve status at school, because teachers often regard them as low ability and place them in bottoms sets which lead them to suffer from status frustration
offers them an alternative status hierarchy where they can win respect from their peers by delinquent actions and inverting society's values
Cloward and Ohlin - three subcultures
criminal subcultures = where there is a longstanding criminal networks. they select suitable youths for an apprenticeship in crime and future criminal career
conflict subcultures = where the only criminal opportunities are within street gangs. Violence provides a release for frustration and a source of status earned by winning territory from rival gangs
retreatist subcultures = made up of dropouts who have failed both the legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures
crime control and punishment policies
policies to tackle poverty
better welfare benefits, wages and job security would reduce crime by giving everyone a more equal chance of achieving success by legal means
equal opportunities in school
treating working class pupils equally would reduce their failure rate, making them less likely to suffer status frustration and join deviant subcultures
education in prison
half of UK prisoners have a reading age of 11 - better education in prisons would help inmates gain skills to get a good job and go straight
interactionalism
people interact with one another based on meanings or labels
example - a criminal label that some people may attach to others in their interactions with one another
differential enforcement of the law
they argue that social control agencies such as the police label certain groups as criminals
this is where the law is enforced more against one group than another
interactionalism - labelling theory
states that no act is deviant or criminal in itself and only becomes this when we create rules and apply them to others
we must focus on how certain actions and people get labelled as criminal in the first place
self fulfilling prophecy
primary deviance - acts that aren't publicly labelled, they mostly go uncaught
those who commit these acts don't usually see themselves as criminals
secondary deviance - results from labelling as people may treat the offender solely in terms of the label which becomes their master status
this label then overrides all other statuses