Class differences in crime

Functionalism
1. The law is a reflection of society's shared values and crime is the product of inadequate socialisation into these values
2. In modern societies with complex divisions of labour, different groups and classes will develop their own subcultures
3. Miller - w/class groups have their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values that clash with those of mainstream culture, thus explaining the higher crime rate
4. Conforming to subcultural norms such as toughness can lead to conflict with the law
Strain theory
1. People engage in deviant behaviour when opportunities to achieve in legitimate ways are blocked, e.g. the cultural goal of 'money success'
2. The w/class are more likely to be denied legitimate opportunities to achieve success and so are more likely to seek illegitimate means of achieving
3. Merton - 'innovation': the use of new, deviant means such as theft or fraud to gain wealth
4. W/class have a higher rate of utilitarian crime (crime for material gain)
Subcultural theories
1. Merton - w/class suffer from blocked opportunities
2. Delinquent subcultures formed by w/class youths is a solution to the problem of status frustration - by inverting mainstream values such a respect for property, they can gain status from peers
3. Cloward and Ohlin - illegitimate opportunity structures explain the high level of w/class crime

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