The Functionalist Perspective on Crime (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Durkheim's functionalist theory of crime

• Functionalists argue that crime and deviance can only be explained by looking at how societies are organised

  • Crime is caused by the structure of society, not just by individual circumstances

  • Functionalism is therefore a structuralist theory of crime

Crime is inevitable

• Durkheim saw crime as a normal and unavoidable part of social life

  • All societies experience crime – it is universal

  • While too much crime can disrupt stability, a certain level is both inevitable and beneficial

Why is crime inevitable?

• Unequal socialisation

  • Not everyone is socialised into the same norms and values

  • Some individuals are less effectively taught society’s rules

• Diversity and subcultures

  • Modern societies are large and varied, producing many subcultures with their own norms and values

  • Agencies of socialisation, such as the family and religion, have become less influential

  • As individuals are exposed to a wider range of ideas, traditional authority weakens

  • There is no longer a clear agreement on what counts as right or wrong, so what one group sees as 'normal', mainstream society may label as deviant

• Weaker punishments

  • Punishments for crime and deviance have lost their power to deter, further undermining social order

• Anomie (normlessness)

  • Durkheim argued that weakening social controls in modern societies leads to anomie, where rules and values become unclear and less binding

  • This erodes the collective conscience (shared culture), resulting in higher levels of deviance

The functions of crime

• Durkheim argued that crime is not only inevitable but also serves important positive functions in every society

• Key functions include:

  • Boundary maintenance

  • Adaptation and change

  • Warning device

  • Social cohesion

  • Safety valve

Boundary maintenance

• Crime produces a reaction (e.g., punishment, public disapproval) that reinforces shared norms and values

• The function of punishment is not to make the offender suffer but to:

  • reaffirm society’s rules

  • strengthen social solidarity

  • maintain public faith in social control

• E.g., courtroom trials make the boundary between acceptable and deviant behaviour clear, discouraging further offending

Adaptation & change

• Deviance is often the starting point of social change

• What is seen as deviant today (e.g., suffragettes, civil rights activists) may become accepted tomorrow

• Without deviance, societies risk stagnation and a lack of progress

• For Durkheim:

  • too much crime can break down social bonds

  • too little crime suggests over-control, which stifles freedom and prevents necessary change

Warning device

• Cohen argues that high levels of crime can act as a warning sign that key institutions are failing (e.g., family, education system)

• E.g., high truancy rates may signal problems within the education system, suggesting reforms are needed

Social cohesion

• In times of shared outrage (e.g., after terrorist attacks or mass shootings), crime can unite diverse communities, creating a sense of togetherness

Safety valve

• Davis (1937; 1961) suggests that certain deviant acts, such as prostitution, provide a harmless outlet for men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the nuclear family

• Polsky (1967) argues that pornography 'channels' sexual desires away from potential harmful alternatives such as adultery, which could undermine family stability

Evaluation of Durkheim's functionalist theory of crime

Strengths

• Concept of anomie

  • Durkheim’s idea of anomie has been very influential in later sociological theories

  • It helps explain why crime and deviance increase in times of rapid social change or uncertainty

• Support from other functionalists

  • Durkheim’s work is supported by thinkers like Cohen (status frustration and deviant subcultures) and Merton (strain theory)

  • This shows that his ideas have been built on and developed within functionalist sociology

• Provides useful insights

  • Durkheim highlights how crime can reinforce norms and act as a source of social change

  • His theory explains why crime is found in every society, not just modern ones

Criticisms

• Doesn’t explain the causes of crime

  • Durkheim focuses on the functions of crime, but doesn’t explain why it happens in the first place

  • E.g., crimes aren’t committed to strengthen solidarity

• Crime doesn't always promote solidarity

  • Some crimes (e.g., murder, rape, terrorism) can be deeply destructive to society

  • Crime can isolate people instead of uniting them (e.g., women staying indoors for fear of attack)

• Doesn’t explain who benefits

  • Durkheim assumes crime benefits society as a whole

  • In reality, some groups suffer more than others, and crime is never functional for the victim (e.g., rape, robbery)

• Not a full explanation

  • The theory ignores victims’ experiences of harm

  • It also fails to explain why some individuals commit crimes while others in similar situations do not

• Marxist criticisms

  • Marxists argue that crime is caused by inequality and conflict under capitalism, not just weakening consensus

  • Durkheim ignores the role of the powerful, who shape laws so their harmful actions (e.g., corporate crime) are not defined as criminal