Crime and Deviance are infamously recognized as elements of society. However, motives for why people commit crime and deviance vary widely. Four sociological approaches have been developed to interpret and analyze deviance: functionalist theories, reinforcement theories, conflict theories, and interactionist theories. While these four theories have contributed greatly to explaining why crime exist, the most prominent theory seen in Elijah Anderson's “The Code of the Streets” is the functionalist theory.
Functionalist see crime and deviance resulting from structural tensions and a lack of moral regulation within society. This idea is in fact valid in Elijah Anderson's “The Code of the Streets”
where crime and deviance arises from tensions in social structures. In “The Code of the Streets” it is said that “the inclination to violence springs from the circumstances of life among the ghetto poor—the lack of jobs that pay a living wage, the stigma of race, the fallout from rampant drug use and drug trafficking, and the resulting alienation and lack of hope for the future.” With that said it is hard for one not to get involved with crime and deviance due to economic inequalities. Those of the lower class are at a disadvantage since its hard for them to go to school to get a higher education, which can potentially lead to a great job. So given the situation they are in, where there is great pressure to try to get ahead by any means, they resort to breaking the law to get what they want, for example dropping out of school to sell drugs on the streets, instead of working a low wage job.
In addition, deviance rates tend to be low when cultural norms are relatively clear-cut and consistent with the structure of statuses and roles in society. This is why police play a necessary role in society, as they keep check on deviance and ultimately protect the law and order. In “The Code of the Streets” where there is “a profound lack of faith in the police and judicial system. The police are most often seen as representing the dominant white society and not caring to protect inner-city residents.” If members of the community had more trust in police, they would not feel the need to take extra ordinary measures to defend themselves and their loved ones.
Moreover, Merton introduced the idea of five possible reactions to the tensions of an unstable society, which people respond to cultural goals, them being: conformity, innovation, ritualism, and retreat-ism. By conforming, which the majority of the population tend to do, one accepts both societal values and the conventional means of realizing them, whether or not they meet with success. The path taken by those who are most vulnerable in society, is often innovation, rejecting the normative means and turning to deviant means. Falling in this category is the lives of street-oriented people, which “are often marked by disorganization. In the most desperate circumstances people frequently have a limited understanding of priorities and consequences, and so frustration mount over bills, foods, and at times, drink, cigarettes, and drugs. Some tend to toward self destructive behavior; many street-oriented women are crack addicted, alcoholic, or involved in in complicated relationships with men who abuse them.” On the other hand, ritualist conform to socially accepted standards but abandon the common cultural goals, such as a person who might dedicate herself to a boring job, although it provides no career prospects and few rewards. Retreatists, usually consisting of dropouts and alcoholics, reject both the dominant values and the approved means of achieving them, therefore are unable to achieve success.
Furthermore, functionalist explained the idea of subcultural groups. According to Albert Cohen, “boys in the lower working class who are frustrated with their positions in life often join together in delinquent subcultures, such as gangs.” Since the actions they commit are considered normal in their subculture, it makes it easy for one to conform to the values and rules of deviant subculture. This is evident in most poor inner-city black community those similar to the one mentioned in “The Code of the Streets” where the youths stick together and often commit delinquent acts. It is believed that gangs arise in communities where the chances of achieving success are legitimately slim, and perhaps the feeling of hopelessness and alienation may also be a reason why they engage in crimes. Thou they try hard to be a part of the mainstream culture, the tensions in social structures make it difficult for them to get by, so instead they adopt the street behavior. Members of subcultural groups find it as a way to cope with shared problems like being socially accepted. Therefore, there is a strong correlation between material deprivation and lack of opportunities with people who commit crime.
The functionalist theory thoroughly demonstrates why the lower class is more inclined to commit crime and deviance. Interestingly, Elijah Anderson's “The Code of the Streets” coincides with the functionalist theory, touching on the fact that majorities of gangs formed consist of minorities. This insight led me to assume that an african american adolescence living in the same circumstances of that of a caucasian is less likely to be affiliated with a gang subculture
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