The Functions of Crime - Book Report/Review Example

The Functions of Crime 1. On what grounds does Durkheim argue that crime should be considered a "normal" element of society? Durkheim argues that crime should be considered a “normal” element of society and bases his argument on the fact that crime maintains a balance in the society. Durkheim brings forth the fact that there has never been any society in the past that was free of crime. No matter what type a society is, crime is an essential component of it. Although the form or type of crime varies from society to society depending upon the culture, social norms, values, trends and traditions prevalent in them, yet its existence can never be denied. Also, the extent to which crime prevails in a society may vary from case to case, yet people belonging to individual societies feel equally offended by the offensive nature of acts from some individuals with a criminal mentality. Crime is so deeply connected all characteristic features of a social life, that there is no consideration of a society without an element of crime in it. Crime is a normal element of a healthy society because a society free of it can not be materialized. In a crime free society, human sentiments will keep looking for causes to show up and hence, people will start to get offended by offenses that are not even worth considering in a normal society. Durkheim further highlights the fact that energy of public that is commonly usurped in solving the complexities evoked by crime in a normal society will show up in unnecessarily high moral standards that would make life impossible in a crime free atmosphere. Existence of crime in the society is essential in order to impart rational volume of attention to a particular matter. 2. Why is a society devoid of crime an impossibility? A society devoid of crime is an impossibility because obviating crime from the society will deprive it of the balance crime maintains in the society. Crime plays a fundamental role in regulating the frustration that is an essential trait of humanistic behavior. All humans tend to release the enormous energy nature has blessed them with on discussing social issues and identifying ways to resolve the matters. Since discussing ways to combat the evils of crime consumes a considerable portion of energy, people tend to maintain calm and friendly relations with their companions with the meager amount of energy that is left in them in the conventional social setup. This maintains brotherly relations among people and they value nobility and piousness. There is no factual concept of a healthy society without crime in it. People need some way to release their frustration. Without crime in a society, the frustration that is otherwise released on discussing and preparing against the calamities of crime will muster up inside the people. Once this happens, people will start to find petty matters to satisfy their curiosity. In such circumstances, people will begin to grade small offenses as serious crimes. In an idealistic society where concept of crime is mythical, people will be too possessive about their self-respect and maintenance of discipline in the society. In a situation of prevalence of extreme peace in the society, a minor offense of ridiculing an individual without the use of abusive language will call for a punishment as severe as life-long imprisonment. A crime free society will distort the social setup necessary for a healthy lifestyle because of unrealistic expectations of members of the society from one another. No matter what the case, people will develop a regulatory framework in order to combat all actions that sound offensive in some way to an individual or group of people. Concept of a society free of crime is impossible because irrespective of the extent of criminality that prevails in a society, people do require a means to regulate their sentiments and curiosity that is an essential feature of the human nature. As long as human nature stays as it is, crime will continue to prevail in the society because it is an outcome of human nature. Besides, it is also a fundamental trait of human nature that it appreciates only things that are less in quantity. In a society where noble people are in abundance, people will not realize the value of nobility because they will not know what it means to a society. 3. What are the functional consequences of crime and deviance? Crime and deviance plays a very important role in maintaining balance in a society in that it rationalizes the human approach towards analysis of matters and the selection of course of action to combat the evils associated with them. Crime and deviance function to regulate human emotions and generate a positive energy among the individual members of a society. It is because of crime and deviance that people realize the value of nobility and hence learn to distinguish between right and wrong. There may be times when crime and deviance open doors to new hopes for the society in an indirect manner. Whenever a calamity occurs because of corruption in the society, members of the community unite to develop a strong force that is self sufficient to fight the crime if encountered in the future. Also, what is considered crime in a social setup is not necessarily what is wrong. Indeed, a setup towards truth and justice might occasionally be considered a crime in a morally corrupt society. Occurrence of such a crime in a corrupt social setup helps eliminate evils from the society. Crime and deviance serve to keep the behavior of members of a society natural and rational. Crime inculcates brotherhood, cohesiveness and social solidarity and unites people belonging to a society. (Liska and Warner, 1991). In addition to that, as a result of the prevalence of crime and deviance in a society, “an increased emphasis on protecting individual rights will impede the efficient maintenance of law and order.” (Ferdico, Fradella, and Totten 4). In fact, the concept of maintenance of law and order in a society fundamentally emerges from the existence of crime and deviance in it. The regulatory framework that materializes in a response to the crime not only combats it, but also ensures the provision of an organized way of life for the society as a whole. Works cited: Ferdico, John N., Fradella, Henry F., and Totten, Christopher D. Criminal Procedure for the Criminal Justice Professional. USA: Cengage Learning. 2008. Print. Liska, Allen E., and Warner, Barbara D. “Functions of Crime : a Paradoxical Process.” The American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 96. No. 6. (1991): 1441-1463. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. Macionis, John J., Benokraitis, Nijole V., and Ravelli, Bruce. Seeing Ourselves : Classic, Contemporary, and Cross-cultural Readings in Sociology. Eighth Edition. Pearson Education Canada. 2006. Print. Read More