Crime as Functional, Inevitable and Normal

Crime as Functional, Inevitable and Normal

Crime can be functional in bringing about social change - when social

norms are unsuited with the conditions of life.

A high crime rate is an indication of a social system that has failed

to adapt to change. Deviance, acts as a warning device, indicating

that an aspect of society is malfunctioning. Deviance may also act as

a safety valve - a relatively harmless expression of discontent. For

example the invasion of the House of Commons, would be a warning

device to society relating to security issues.

Durkheim argues that some crime is inevitable, but only in some

societies, the crime rate may become too much and, this indicates a

society that is intolerable, which means that it is suffering from

social disorganisation. However, Durkheim does not provide any

indication of what a 'normal' crime rate might be.

While regarding a certain rate of crime as a normal unavoidable

feature of society, also Durkheim was aware that particular societies

might be in a suffering condition, which generates excessive deviance.

This leads into the area of anomie and the work of Robert Merton.

Durkheim argues that crime can have a positively beneficial role in

social evolution. Individuals, who anticipate necessary adjustments of

social morality to changing conditions, may be stigmatised as

criminals at first.

Despite Durkheim’s views, he does not explain why certain people are

more likely to commit crimes than others are; he is more interested in

the relationship between deviance and order in society.

Along with Durkheim, Merton argues that deviant behaviour is

functional.

Merton's analysis s...

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...Illegitimate

enterprises offer a route for those whose opportunities are blocked,

and therefore they enter the juvenile criminal subcultures. This is

not described as functional however Cloward & Lloyd Ohlin believe this

is normal, young working class males have to enter into deviant

subcultures to gain opportunities.

Assessing the arguments on crime being, functional inevitable and

normal it is very clear that today deviance is very much apart of our

society.

Durkheim argued that crime could be beneficial, as reported and

witnessed crime is often used as a warning device for our society. In

moderation, crime can kept under control by the laws and collective

conscience. Collective conscience provides a framework with

boundaries, which distinguishes between actions that are acceptable

and those that are not.