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5 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Functionalists believe that crime is positive.
Durkheim 1893 wrote "Crime is normal... an integral part of all healthy societies". He believes that the right amount of crime is a good thing. |
Functionalism is based on the work of Emile Durkheim.
Functionalists see society as a stable system based on shared values.
Crime and deviance threatens to disrupt this stability but are inevitable and functional to society. |
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WHY IS CRIME INEVITABLE?
Not everyone is equally socialised into the norms and values, some will be prone to deviate.
Diversity of lifestyles & values. Different groups develop their own subcultures and what they regard as normal, mainstream cultures may see as deviant. |
CRIME IS A POSITIVE FUNCTION THROUGH BOUNDARY MAINTENANCE AND ADAPTION AND CHANGE.
Boundary Maintenance: Unites members in condemnation of the wrongdoer & reinforcing their commitment to the shared norms & values. Durkheim believes punishment is to reaffirm societies shared rules & reinforce social solidarity.
Adaption & Change: Durkheim - All change starts with an act of deviance. Must be some scope for people to challenge & change existing norms & values, this will at first appear as deviant.
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STRENGTHS OF THE FUNCTIONALIST APPROACH
It shows the ways in which deviance is integral to society. It provides an important analysis that directs attention to the ways in which deviance can have hidden or latent functions for society. |
CRITICISMS OF THE FUNCTIONALIST APPROACH
Durkheim offers no way of knowing how much is the right amount of crime. They ignore how it might affect different groups within society. They fail to ask the question 'Functional for whom?' Crime could lead people to become more isolated. People do not commit crime in advance with the intention of strengthening solidarity, so just because crime does these things it is not necessarily why it exists in the first place. |
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HOW DOES PROSTITUTION HAVE A POSITIVE FUNCTION?
Davis 1937: Prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of mens sexual frustrations without threatening the monogomous nuclear family.
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HOW DOES PORNOGRAPHY HAVE A POSITIVE FUNCTION?
Polsky 1967: Believes that pornography safely 'channels' a variety of sexual desires away from things such as adultery, which would be threatening to the family. |
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PARIS TERRORIST ATTACKS 2015
- Muslim terrorist attacks on French magazine, killed 12 people
Positive functions of crime: > Performs the function of boundary maintenance > It will bring communities together
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ANDERS BREIVIK - NORWAY
- Killed 77 people: Adults and children on a campsite and a bomb in the city that left 209 injured and 8 dead. - They want to treat him equally to other criminals and gave him a minimum of 10 years. |
