Crimes occur everywhere around the globe. On a daily basis we hear news about recent crimes that have taken place. Can you try to imagine a world without crime? Personally, I cannot do so.
As society evolves, so does our social norms, and no matter what, there will always be people who disagree with these norms. This causes conflicting perspectives which inevitably results in violence and disagreement. This is why I agree with Emile Durkheim’s theory on crime. Durkheim believed that “crime is a normal aspect of society and that crime itself serves a social function” (Law and Society, 2012).
When you think about it, crime brings on an effective amount of change in society. When a crime is committed, people start to consider whether or not the social norm that was violated is valid (Thompson, 2009). For example, just recently gay relationships were legalized in all states of the US. Until that point, being in a gay relationship was considered immoral and it was against social norms in the US. But after seeing a significant increase in gay relationships, members of society were able to think it over and realized that it really wasn’t going against any specific social norm.
Durkheim believed that “crime was inevitable” (Law and Society, 2012), and I agree no matter what penalties are placed on crimes or how much effort is put into enforcing the laws, crime will always exist. Additionally, it is a known fact that when a crime is committed by a person, a penalty follows if proven guilty. These penalties support our society’s social values, beliefs, norms, and morals. Also, Durkheim stated that “crime and subsequent punishments provides a positive social function as it establishes and maintains a social consensus about what is and isn’t deviant behaviour” (Thompson, 2009). So, crime is significant to societies, because when a crime is committed we are able to differentiate between good and bad behaviour.
When I thought deeply about the significance of crime in society, I realized that it is extremely important because when crimes are committed we are able to see that our society is starting to crumble, and therefore must act to fix it (Thompson, 2009). This can be done by implementing and enforcing laws, or simply by removing the law. So you see, when a crime is committed the flaws in our society are pointed out to us; if we lived in a world free of crime, we would not be able to examine or act upon these flaws.
References
Durkheim: Crime serves a Social Function. (2012, October 18). Retrieved August 5, 2015, from
https://kpulawandsociety.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/durkheim-crime-serves-a-social-function/
Sociological Theories of Deviance. (2015, July 21). Retrieved August 7, 2015, from
https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/deviance-social-control-and-crime-
7/theories-of-crime-and-deviance-61/sociological-theories-of-deviance-371-10205/
Thompson, C. (2009, January 16). Functionalist perspective of crime. Retrieved August 6, 2015,
from http://sociologytwynham.com/2009/01/16/functionalist-perspective-of-crime/
As society evolves, so does our social norms, and no matter what, there will always be people who disagree with these norms. This causes conflicting perspectives which inevitably results in violence and disagreement. This is why I agree with Emile Durkheim’s theory on crime. Durkheim believed that “crime is a normal aspect of society and that crime itself serves a social function” (Law and Society, 2012).
When you think about it, crime brings on an effective amount of change in society. When a crime is committed, people start to consider whether or not the social norm that was violated is valid (Thompson, 2009). For example, just recently gay relationships were legalized in all states of the US. Until that point, being in a gay relationship was considered immoral and it was against social norms in the US. But after seeing a significant increase in gay relationships, members of society were able to think it over and realized that it really wasn’t going against any specific social norm.
Durkheim believed that “crime was inevitable” (Law and Society, 2012), and I agree no matter what penalties are placed on crimes or how much effort is put into enforcing the laws, crime will always exist. Additionally, it is a known fact that when a crime is committed by a person, a penalty follows if proven guilty. These penalties support our society’s social values, beliefs, norms, and morals. Also, Durkheim stated that “crime and subsequent punishments provides a positive social function as it establishes and maintains a social consensus about what is and isn’t deviant behaviour” (Thompson, 2009). So, crime is significant to societies, because when a crime is committed we are able to differentiate between good and bad behaviour.
When I thought deeply about the significance of crime in society, I realized that it is extremely important because when crimes are committed we are able to see that our society is starting to crumble, and therefore must act to fix it (Thompson, 2009). This can be done by implementing and enforcing laws, or simply by removing the law. So you see, when a crime is committed the flaws in our society are pointed out to us; if we lived in a world free of crime, we would not be able to examine or act upon these flaws.
References
Durkheim: Crime serves a Social Function. (2012, October 18). Retrieved August 5, 2015, from
https://kpulawandsociety.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/durkheim-crime-serves-a-social-function/
Sociological Theories of Deviance. (2015, July 21). Retrieved August 7, 2015, from
https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/deviance-social-control-and-crime-
7/theories-of-crime-and-deviance-61/sociological-theories-of-deviance-371-10205/
Thompson, C. (2009, January 16). Functionalist perspective of crime. Retrieved August 6, 2015,
from http://sociologytwynham.com/2009/01/16/functionalist-perspective-of-crime/
This is a photo of Emile Durkheim.