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FUNCTIONALISM in Crime, - Coggle Diagram
FUNCTIONALISM in Crime
HIRSCHI
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Social Control
Hirschi suggests that people feel social bonds that control them from committing crime due to the negative impacts of the society they live in
According to Hirschi, social control and social order are maintained through the process of socialisation
Hirschi's ideas come from a view of examining why people do not commit crime rather than why they do
Bonds of Attachment
- Adaptation: People have goals/ activities done to achieve these goals. Employment, education, family life, community involvement can all be interrupted by criminal activity. Leads to conformity to society's norms/ values - deviance could make them lose out on future opportunities - e.g. criminal record might influence career prospects
- Belief: refers to the individual's commitment to the norms and values of society and is dependent on the individuals socialization into a value consensus. Individual beliefs that criminal activities are morally wrong will influence them into not committing crime.
- Commitment: refers to the interactions that people have with others within their community. Those committed to community are unlikely to want to go against the wishes of others. It also refers to the extent to which people are protective of the interests of others in the community - e.g. not committing crime as it would shame their family.
- Involvement: Within local community it means people have less opportunity to commit crime. People are aware of potential damage that criminal behavior can do to their community. Alleviates other frustrations such as employment, as status can be gained through being known in community.
EVALUATIONS:
- As a control theory, it suggests that under certain circumstances everyone has potential for deviance and acknowledges social conditions behind crime
- It offers little explanation for how crime is caused or the specific nature of criminal behaviour
- Assumes that social bonds mean the same to all individuals; doesn’t explain why some choose not to integrate into a community.
DURKHEIM
View of Society
Modern life experiences effect society’s cohesion- triggered the development of anomie (state of normalness) - drifting away from norms and values of society
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EVALUATIONS:
- Hard to measure the 'optimal amount' of crime that can exist in a society
- Contemporary examples illustrate the legacy of Durkheim's view of the impacts of crime on society
Boundary Maintenance
Society unites to condemn the wrong-doers, leading to a collective agreement that the behaviour is wrong and shouldn’t be repeated
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EXAMPLES:
- Public reactions to terrorist activities e.g. London and Manchester bombings
- Society condemns terrorist actions, vowing to 'not let them win'
- 2011 riots - public condemnation of rioting/ looting behaviour
- Support for harsh measures against looters reinforces collective conscience
Function of Deviance
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Theres an optimal amount of crime for society to function - too much would cause society to atrophy (erosion) - too little of it would cause society to stagnate
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Adaptation and Change
Deviant behaviours demonstrate a changing attitude of the population to the established way of doing things
As small groups deviate, others in society will accept these behaviours as the norm
As the behaviours become the norm for more people, they cease to be deviant and society accepts the change
EXAMPLES:
- Civil rights movements began with protests/ sit-ins in white only establishments
- Gay rights movement accelerated after Stonewall riots and women's liberation movement used unconventional means to push for equality
- Removal of Edward Coulston statue symbol of BLM campaign and subsequent removal of other slavery associated figures
Other Functions of Crime
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Other functionalists have suggested criminal/ deviant behaviour can be a release - Polsky and Davis suggested that prostitution and pornography reduce tension
MERTON
EVALUATIONS:
- Recognised structural inequality in crime, highlighting the lack of opportunities available to some groups
- Strain is dependent on people wanting to achieve socially-approved goals
- Offers explanations for utilitarian crimes but doesn't explain crimes of passion or why some choose to victimise others
Strain Theory: Suggested different reactions to the AD: Some continue to accept socially-approved goals, striving to achieve them by ill/legitimate means OR Others reject socially-approved goals and either deviate/conform to socially-approved behaviours
Mini Fact File:
Suggested society was structurally unequal and that the failures of some to achieve the 'American Dream' led to a strain to anomie
One of most influential sociologists of functionalist movement - he criticised the functionalist ideas of universal functionalism
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