Society of Saints: In some towns in America you can go to jail if your grass gets too long. Some people have been fined thousands of dollars for letting their lawns grow too long. If the grass grows above this, the local council may fine them, and they can even go to jail. These laws stipulate a maximum grass height, typically of eight inches. Thus the individual who simply showed bad taste, or was merely impolite, would attract strong disapproval.Ī good example of this are the laws surrounding grass cutting in many towns in America. The general standards of behaviour would be so high that the slightest slip would be regarded as a serious offence. Since individuals are exposed to different influences and circumstances, it was ‘impossible for them to be all alike’ and hence some people would inevitably break the law.ĭurkheim also theorised that deviance would still exist even in a ‘society of saints’ populated by ‘perfect’ individuals. He pointed out that crime is inevitable in all societies, and that the crime rate was in fact higher in more advanced, industrial societies.ĭurkheim theorised crime was inevitable because not every member of society can be equally committed to the collective sentiments (the shared values and moral beliefs of society). Crime is Inevitableĭurkheim argued that crime is an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. Refer here to Durkheim’s Theory of Suicide.ĭurkheim developed his theory of crime and deviance in The Rules of Sociological Method, first published in 1895. On the other hand, too much crime is bad for society and can help bring about its collapse, hence institutions of social control are necessary to keep the amount of crime in check.Crime has positive functions -A certain amount of crime contributes to the well-being of a society.A limited amount of crime is inevitable and even necessary.There are three main aspects to Durkheim’s theory of crime:

It then looks at some other Functionalist theories of crime and finally evaluates. This post provides a summary of Durkheim’s Functionalist Theory of why crime is inevitable and functional for society.

Most functionalist thinkers argue that crime contributes to social order, even though it seems to undermine it. It seeks to explain crime by looking at the nature of society, rather than at individuals. The Functionalist perspective on crime and deviance starts with society as a whole. Evaluation of the Functionalist View of Crime.More Functionalist Perspectives on Crime and Deviance.

Structural functionalism theory example