The emphasis on labeling has come about because many now recognize that much behavior that is called deviant is not necessarily defined as criminal. The chronic abuse of prescription
drugs, for example, may be considered deviant but not illegal behavior. And the reverse is also true: Many criminal acts tax fraud, for example are not defined deviant by the general public.
It is obviously a matter of labeling. In fact, deviance may be said to be in the eye of the beholder Sykes, 1978.
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2. The Functionalist Approach
The concept of value consensus is a central theme of the functionalist approach. From this point of view, the law is seen as a reflection of the consensus of most persons within a society. The
State, which has the responsibility for enforcing the law, is seen as value neutral. French sociologist Emile Durkheim saw the function of crime as that of establishing and
maintaining the moral boundaries of society. According to Durkheim, crime is both universal and normal. It is functional to society because rules and norms are essential to social life. The
occurrence of crime and our reactions to it remind us of these rules. Crime, then actually becomes a stabilizing influence within society.
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Durkheim believed that people should only be concerned with drastic changes in crime rates, whether up or down, rather than with the absolute level of crime. Neither high nor low crime rates
are “good” in and of themselves. Durkheim observed that when crime rates drop, it is because society has become overly repressive- not a good thing. Conversely, when society is in chaos and
norms are no longer apparent, crime rates jump rapidly-not good either Durkheim, 1964.
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The functionalist perspective is frequently used in attempt to explain correlation between high crime rates and big cities. In a simple, homogeneous, agricultural society, controls are
maintained by primary group relationships. With the growth of urbanization and industrialization,
30Ibid, p.392 31Ibid
32Ibid 17
people are drawn to the cities and to employment by large corporations. In such a setting, the neighborhood no longer forms a stable unit.
As the writer sees the observation above, the highest rates of crime are generally found in slum neighborhoods near the center of large cities, decreasing as people move outward toward the
suburbs. This fact remains fairly constant despite changes over the years in ethnic composition. Why does this pattern persist? From the functionalist perspective, the underlying cause of crime in
poor urban communities is social disorganization. For most significantly, functionalist cite high rates of substandard housing, mental
disorders, population changes, disease, and poverty as evidence of social disorganization- conditions of human wretchedness that seem to go hand in hand with crime Shaw and
McKay, 1942; 1929.
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3. The Conflict Approach
