LU 3

Social and Subculture Perspectives

Theme 1: Social Structure Theories
LO1: Analyse the relationship between social structure and crime.
LO2: Discuss poverty in relation to Social Structure Theories.
LO3: Explain Social Disorganisation Theory and the pathway to crime.
LO4: Analyse the main propositions of Merton’s Theory of Anomie.
LO5: Explain how Agnew’s General Strain Theory is built on the Theory of
Anomie.
LO6: Distinguish between the following theories:
• Miller’s Focal Concern Theory,
• Cohen’s Theory of Delinquent Subcultures and
• Cloward and Ohlin’s Differential Opportunities Theory.
LO7: Evaluate the various Social Structure Theories in relation to policy
implications.
LO8: Apply one of the Social Structure Theories to the crime of vandalism,
specifically graffiti.
LO9: Apply the Theory of Delinquent Subcultures to youth train surfing.
LO1: Analyse the relationship between social structure and crime
Social class and crime are connected in a magnitude of ways.

Those from lower economic strata are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and
incarcerated for crimes than are more affluent individuals.

Prisoners in the United States are more likely to be unemployed and earn less than the
general population.
Although criminal activity by the wealthy may pose a greater financial cost to society,
affluent individuals are less likely to be caught and convicted of crimes.

Additionally, white-collar crimes have traditionally been treated less severely by the
criminal justice system than street crimes.

Many criminological theories have explored the relationship between economic factors and
crime including looking at the effects of poverty on strain, the impact of coming from a
disadvantaged neighborhood, the culture of poverty, and the very structure and enforcement
of laws and the legal system.
Social structure theories emphasize poverty, lack of education, absence of
marketable skills, and subcultural values as fundamental causes of crime.

Three subtypes of social structure theories can be identified:

• social disorganization theory,
• strain theory, and
• culture conflict theory.
•Social structure theories stress that crime results from economic and other problems in
how society is structured and from poverty and other problems in neighborhoods.

•Interactionist theories stress that crime results from our interaction with family
members, peers, and other people, and from labeling by the criminal justice system.

•Conflict theories stress that social groups with power and influence try to use the law
and criminal justice system to maintain their power and to keep other groups at the
bottom of society.
Discuss poverty in relation to Social Structure Theories
LO3: Explain Social Disorganisation Theory and the pathway to crime
Social disorganisation theory argues that crime occurs when the mechanisms of
social control such as parental control or family relationship, faith based
organisations (e.g. churches or mosque), schools, voluntary organisations weakened.
What are the main ideas of social disorganization theory?

Social disorganization theory specifies that several variables—residential

instability, ethnic diversity, family disruption, economic status, population size or
density, and proximity to urban areas—influence a community's capacity to
develop and maintain strong systems of social relationships.
Analyse the main propositions of Merton’s Theory of Anomie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZQA48eluNs

Mertons strain and adaption 6min

Agnew's general strain theory is based on the general idea that “when people are
treated badly they may get upset and engage in crime”.
According to Robert Agnew’ s General Strain Theory, strain is
based on three different factors:

1. failure to achieve a goal,

2. the existence of harmful impulses,
3. and the removal of positive impulses.

Stress produces negative emotions such as anger or depression

that promote delinquent behaviour without adequate coping
skills.
LO6: Distinguish between the following theories:

• Miller’s Focal Concern Theory,

• Cohen’s Theory of Delinquent Subcultures and
• Cloward and Ohlin’s Differential Opportunities Theory .
• The focal concerns theory, posited in 1962 by Walter B. Miller, attempts to
explain the behavior of "members of adolescent street corner groups in lower
class communities" as concern for six focal concerns:
• trouble,
• toughness,
• smartness,
• excitement,
• fate,
• autonomy.
Miller suggested that working-class boys were socialised into a number of distinct
values that together meant they were more likely than others to engage in
delinquent or deviant behaviour. Miller described these values as "focal
concerns".
None of these values on their own mean that crime is unavoidable (many "lower-class
boys" are also socialised with these focal concerns and stay out of trouble) but they do
make crime more likely.

Seeking excitement might lead to non-utilitarian crime; toughness, smartness and trouble
might result in fighting.

Autonomy might lead people to take matters into their own hands rather than asking for
help;

fatalism might mean that they do not consider the consequences of their actions as the
future is already written.
What is Cohen's subculture theory?

Cohen argued that youth develop a cultural style as a means of coping with their
particular circumstances and of resisting the dominant values of society.

This casts working class youth as the standard bearers of class struggle.
Cohan:

The values and attitudes that kids learn are transmitted through the culture in which they
are raised; the family is an important institution in this process.

Kids from middleclass families learn to compete for status in terms of middle-class
values, which include a premium on ambition, individual responsibility, rational
planning, respect, gratification, a rejection of violence, and a respect for property.

In contrast, working-class boys learn to be more easy-going; they lack discipline and are
governed by their impulses and desire to have fun, not by long-term goals. Fighting is a
more acceptable way to settle disputes in working-class culture.
The theory of differential opportunities combines learning, subculture, anomie
and social disorganization theories and expands them to include the recognition
that for criminal behaviour there must also be access to illegitimate mean
Cloward and Ohlin's differential opportunity theory, is the idea that people,
usually teens, from low socioeconomic backgrounds who have few
opportunities for success will use any means at their disposal to achieve
success.
LO7: Evaluate the various Social Structure Theories in relation to policy implications
What are the policy implications for social structure theories?

Social structure theories emphasize

1. poverty,
2. lack of education,
3. absence of marketable skills, and
4. subcultural values as fundamental causes of crime.

Three subtypes of social structure theories can be identified: social

disorganization theory, strain theory, and culture conflict theory.
Some policy intervention may include a number of programs aimed at generating or
strengthening a sense of community in neighborhoods with the help and cooperation of
schools, churches, recreational clubs, trade unions, and businesses. Athletic leagues, various
kinds of clubs, summer camps, and many
other activities were formed to busy the idle hands of the young.

“Street corner” counselors can be hired to offer advice to youths and to mediate with the
police on their behalf when they got into trouble.

Neighborhood residents were encouraged to form committees to resolve neighborhood

problems.
LO8: Apply one of the Social Structure Theories to the crime of vandalism, specifically
graffiti.
In the negative judgments, graffiti is associated for example with back streets,
vandalism, offensiveness, deterioration, defacement and impoverishment.

Strain Theory states that social structures within society may encourage
citizens to commit crime.
Vandalism is considered to be the result of willful or thoughtless behaviour
toward the environment, resulting in the destruction and damage of property, or
the defacement of parks and recreational areas
Vandalism, a specific form of environmental crime, is defined as the willful damage to
property through specific behaviour, as opposed to decay, erosion and change, which
the physical environment is subject to over time and through use.

Furthermore, the act of vandalism is undertaken to property not belonging to the

vandal, and the onus for repairing the property lies with the owner.
Street Art vs. Strain Theory Strain

Theory states that social structures within society may encourage citizens to commit crime.

The gap between expectations and actual achievements come from personal goals and some of
those goals will never be realized because of unavoidable circumstances including both
inherent weaknesses and opportunities blocked by others.

The difference between the view of what a person believes the outcome should be and what
actually results increases personal disappointment and frustration.

Taking this into consideration, it may be thought; social structures within society may
encourage citizens to take part in street art, obviously not for material acquisition, but maybe
for social satisfaction.
Street Art vs. Social Disorganization Theory

The Social Disorganization Theory links high crime rates to neighborhood ecological
characteristics and this, in the sense that it would link high street art rates to
neighborhood ecological characteristics, would make sense in understanding street art
better.

It would be much more probable for youths from certain neighborhoods to be

participants in a subculture in which street art was, even if not approved per say still,
acceptable and that understanding was acquired in a social and cultural setting through
a process of interaction.
LO9: Apply the Theory of Delinquent Subcultures to youth train surfing
Cohen's basic assumption is that most juvenile criminals are members of delinquent
subcultures.

Train surfing is the act of hitching a ride on the outside of a moving train, tram or
another rail transport. Such has been its appeal among the youth that some of them
have bonded into rival groups to compete against one another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dDhtaEYGUM

30 min Social Structure Theories

Thank you