Functionalists look at society as a whole. They explain crime and deviance by stating that the source of deviance lies in the nature of society rather than the individual.
Durkheim states that crime and deviance is inevitable and a certain level is necessary for society to exist. He also claims that it is a positive aspect of society as it shows examples of rights and wrongs within society and by punishing offenders, through ways such as public humiliation and portraying crime as wrong, raises awareness of crime and therefore deters others from committing crime along with creating a collective conscience. He also argues that crime and deviance allows social change to occur which is needed in order for society to remain stable. Durkheim’s theory is useful in explaining crime as it highlights that crime is not unnatural in society. However, Durkheim has been criticised as there is no way to tell what is too much to be useful and what the right amount is. Durkheim also fails to consider why some groups in society, such as the working class, are more likely to commit crimes.
Merton explains crime by using his strain theory in which he focuses on goals and the means of reaching the goals. He based his study on the American Dream and suggested that all members of society have the collective value of wealth and possession. Due to this, Merton claims that crime and deviance arises due to society not being equal and those at the bottom of the hierarchy, for example the working class, are unable to achieve these goals via legitimate means such as education and work so turn to illegitimate means such as theft. This suggests that goals are linked to a person’s position in the social system, meaning that there cannot be a true value consensus for all. Merton’s strain theory is useful in explaining why people conform within society. However, he does not consider why only some of