Theories of crime and deviance, including Durkheim's functionalist view, Merton's strain theory, Albert Cohen's subcultural theory, the Marxist view, and Becker's labelling theory.

What this dot point is asking

Eduqas wants you to explain the main sociological theories of crime and to set them against each other in an evaluation: Durkheim's functionalism, Merton's strain theory, Albert Cohen's subcultural theory, the Marxist view, and Becker's labelling theory. The theories of crime are the centre of the crime topic on Component 2 and the basis of the longer discuss and evaluate essays.

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. Punishing crime publicly reinforces the shared rules and strengthens social solidarity (boundary maintenance); a little deviance also lets society test and change its rules, allowing progress. But too much crime is a sign of anomie (normlessness), where shared rules break down. His view is distinctive because it treats some crime as good for society, not just a problem.

Merton: strain theory

At GCSE the key response to strain is innovation: accepting the goal of wealth but using illegal means, which explains much property crime. Merton's theory is powerful because it links crime to the structure of an unequal society rather than to individual wickedness.

Cohen: subcultural theory

Cohen's theory improves on Merton by explaining non-utilitarian crime (crime with no obvious material gain, such as vandalism), which Merton's focus on wealth cannot. It also explains why crime is often a group activity. Both are structural theories, but Cohen stresses status rather than money.

Marxism and labelling

Two further theories complete the picture and provide the "other side" for essays:

• Marxists argue capitalism causes crime: poverty and inequality push some to crime to survive (utilitarian crime), while a greedy, competitive culture encourages crime at all levels, including the white-collar crime of the rich. They add that the law is made by and for the ruling class, and that the police and courts target the visible crimes of the poor while the powerful escape, so crime statistics reflect selective enforcement.
• Becker's labelling theory (interactionist) argues no act is criminal in itself; it becomes so only when society labels it that way. Whether someone is treated as a criminal depends on the reaction of others, and the powerful are better able to make labels stick. A label can become a master status and trigger a self-fulfilling prophecy, pushing the person into further deviance.

A strong answer sets the structural theories (Merton, Cohen, Marxism) against the functionalist and interactionist views (Durkheim, Becker) and reaches a judgement, which is exactly what the discuss and evaluate questions reward.