How do sociologists explain why crime happens?
Theories of crime and deviance, including Durkheim's functionalist view, Merton's strain theory, Marxist explanations, and the interactionist labelling theory of Becker.
A focused answer to the AQA GCSE Sociology crime topic, covering the main theories of crime: Durkheim's functionalism, Merton's strain theory, the Marxist view and Becker's labelling theory.
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to explain the main sociological theories of crime and to be able to set them against each other in an evaluation: the functionalist views of Durkheim and Merton, the Marxist view, and the interactionist labelling theory of Becker. The twelve-mark questions on Paper 2 reward students who use named theorists and reach a judgement.
Durkheim: crime is normal and functional
Emile Durkheim, a functionalist, argued that a certain amount of crime is normal in every society and can even be useful. He gave several reasons. Punishing crime publicly reminds everyone of the shared rules and reinforces social solidarity (the boundary-maintenance function). A small amount of deviance also allows society to test and change its rules, so it can be a source of progress. However, Durkheim warned that too much crime is a sign of anomie, a state of normlessness where shared rules break down and society starts to disintegrate. His view is distinctive because it treats some crime as good for society, not just as a problem.
Merton: strain theory
Merton outlined several responses to strain, but at GCSE the key one is innovation: accepting the goal of wealth but using illegal means to achieve it, which explains much property crime. His theory is powerful because it links crime to the structure of an unequal society rather than to individual wickedness, and it explains why crime is concentrated among those with the fewest legitimate opportunities.
The Marxist view
Marxists argue that capitalism itself causes crime. Poverty and inequality push some people to commit crime to survive (utilitarian crime), while a competitive, greedy culture encourages crime at all levels of society, including the white-collar and corporate crimes of the rich. Marxists add a crucial point about the law: they argue it is made by and for the ruling class, and that the police and courts focus on the visible crimes of the poor while the powerful largely escape punishment. So for Marxists, crime statistics reflect selective law enforcement as much as real offending.
Becker: labelling theory
Labelling theory shifts attention from the causes of the first act to the consequences of being labelled. Once a person is publicly labelled (a "master status"), others treat them differently, which can push them into further deviance, a self-fulfilling prophecy. This connects directly to the social construction of deviance covered elsewhere in the topic.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 201912 marksDiscuss how far sociologists would agree that crime is caused by inequality in society.Show worked answer →
A twelve-mark Paper 2 extended item assessing AO1 knowledge, AO2 application and AO3 evaluation. Use named theories on both sides and reach a judgement.
For inequality as a cause: Merton's strain theory argues crime happens when people cannot reach society's goal of wealth by legitimate means, so the poor innovate through crime. Marxists argue capitalism breeds crime because poverty and greed are built into an unequal system.
Other causes: Durkheim saw some crime as normal and even useful for society, not just caused by inequality. Becker's labelling theory argues crime depends on who gets labelled a criminal, not only on inequality.
Judgement: inequality is a powerful explanation, especially for property crime, but it is not the whole story. Markers reward named theories, balance across perspectives and a supported conclusion.
AQA 20214 marksIdentify and explain one criticism of the labelling theory of crime.Show worked answer →
A four-mark item: state a clear criticism and develop it.
One criticism is that labelling theory does not explain why a person committed the act in the first place. It focuses on the reaction to deviance, but not on the original cause, so it leaves the roots of crime unexplained.
Develop the point: critics also argue it removes responsibility from the offender by suggesting the label, not the person, creates the criminal. Markers reward a clearly identified criticism and a developed explanation of why it weakens the theory.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Sociology (8192) specification — AQA (2017)