FUNCTIONALIST EXPLANATIONS;

ROB MERTON- American sociologist who uses the concept of 'American Dream' (the idea that anyone,regardless of their background can achieve success by hard work & talent).Failure to achieve the goals of success in life(money,happy family,successful career etc) causes an issue- for individuals,it causes a strain on individuals.Some people respond to this strain by committing crime;

INNOVATORS; Merton claims that these people realise they are not going to achieve the goals through the normal ways(hard work/talent) so innovative to turn to crime
RETREATISTS; Some people turn their back on both the goals and accepted means of achieving them(hard work etc) and retreat into a world of drug abuse/alcohol abuse.
CONFORMISTS; Most people in society are this- they accept that they are never going to achieve all the goals set by society so settle for achieving just one or two e.g.happy family/good career.They conform to the norms and values of society.

DAVID MATZA; Subterranean Values- He believes that people who commit crime are no different to everyone else in society.People who commit crime are simply less effective at controlling their subterranean values.Everyone in society has some subterranean values- these are the values that we keep hidden below the surface e.g.aggression/greed/sexuality etc.Criminals allow their subterranean values to influence their behaviour and they commit violence or theft.

WALTER MILLER; Focal Concerns- Miller believes that the working class have their own specific set of norms & values which effectively make them a subculture.They values things like fate,being street-smart,aggression and violence.Miller argues that people with these norms and values are significantly more likely to get involved in crime than people who do not have them.

ALBERT COHEN; Status Frustration- Working class youths(particularly males) suffer from status frustration.They have failed at school so end up in low-paid manual jobs or unemployed,poor quality housing etc.When they compare themselves to the middle classes they see all around them,they feel inadequate- this causes a sense of frustration about their lives- many of them deal with this frustration by committing crime as part of a gang/subculture.

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G672- Ethnicity and youth crime - Social Class and youth crime