Social Criminology Emile Durkheim Intellectual Backdrop Thinking inspired by two major events o French Revolution o Industrial Revolution Elemental concepts o Mechanical solidarity uniformity o Organic solidarity diversity division of labor Gemeinschaft community Gessellschaft scoriety Fundamental Assumptions As seen in Suicide Context is supremely important This shapes personal decisions What matters most is how embedded you are with society Functionalism defined Crime is normal it serves as a valued social purpose o Crime serves purpose and is expected No society has existed crime free Imagine society of saints 119 The Purpose of Functionalism Crime is to be regulated and controlled not eliminated Crime and deviance are continually redefined o Defining deviance up more restrictive law o Defining deviance down more permissive law Constant balance achieved between deviants and conformists Normalization Aims This produces social solidarity o Normally defined through contrast with criminality deviance The practical benefit is in managing work load Benefits society through allowing for innovation adaptation o MLK o Gandhi o American Revolutions Otherwise individuals would be pathologically over controlled Durkheim s Legacy Social Disorganization Chicago School Anomie Stain Theory o Anomie is normlessness taking place amid social or economic upheaval Control Theory Sociological insight the sum is greater than the tally of the parts o Group dynamics are essential to understanding behavior individual characteristics are only part of the story
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