Assess the view that crime is functional, inevitable and normal

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Assess the view that crime is functional, inevitable and normal

Durkeim (1982) argued that society was based on a set of shared values that guide our actions and this was called the collective conscience.

Society has many norms, values and regulation which are there in order to maintain a stable society. Nevertheless these norms and regulations are broken through criminal and deviant acts. Although society perceives such actions as law breaking and immoral, Durkeim argues that there is a positive side to crime.

‘Imagine a society of saints, a perfect cloister of exemplary individuals. Crimes properly so called, will there be unknown; but faults which appear venial to the layman will create there the same scandal that the ordinary offence does in ordinary consciousness. If, then, this society has the power to judge and punish, it will define these acts as criminal and will treat them as such.’

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His idea of crime being a positive aspect to society is based around the idea that people are unclear of the boundaries as they change over time. Durkeim discussed three elements of this positivist aspect. He believed that crime is a universal feature of all societies as it serves a vital social function. Through the punishment of offenders the moral boundaries of a community are clearly marked out, and attachment to them is reinforced. The purpose of punishment is not deterrence, rehabilitation nor retribution. Punishment strengthens social solidarity through the reaffirmation of moral commitment among the conforming population who witness the ...

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