Subculture

1
Subculture Opportunity
2
Subculture Disorganization
3
Culture Conflict Theory

• Subcultural theory stemming from social
  disorganization
• Society divided into ethic minority cultures
• Law is the rule of the dominant group
• Cultural heritage vs. Dominant culture
• Criminals are following the rules/norms of their
  culture which are in conflict with (and penalized
  by) the dominant culture

4
Culture Conflict Theory

• Thorsten Sellin (1938)
• Legal definitions are relative
• Conduct norms associated with culture
• Differences in culture norms create conflict
• Example Branch Davidians
• 2 types of conflict
• Primary conflict between subordinate and
  dominant cultures
• Secondary Conflict within subordinate group
  about acceptability of conduct norms

5
Lower Class Subculture

• Walter Miller (1958)
• Lower-class subcultures are extensions of the
  lower- (working) class culture
• Have values that do not exist in middle-class
  culture
• Focal concerns unique value system of
  lower-class culture
• Trouble
• Toughness
• Smartness
• Excitement
• Fate
• Autonomy

6
Subculture of Violence

• Wolfgang Ferracuti (1967)
• Subcultures where violence is accepted as a
  reasonable mode of behavior for solving problems
  (youth gangs)
• Transmission of subcultural values
• Children socialized to violence and idealize
  leaders of violent groups
• Elijah Anderson
• Code of the Street Decency, Violence, And The
  Moral Life Of The Inner City (1999)

7
Culture Conflict

• CJ Policy
• Assimilation
• Cultural socialization programs
• Clear and simplified laws
• CJ Practice
• Counseling for children of immigrants
• Greater flexibility of law

8
Culture Conflict

• Evaluation
• Good at explaining minority and ethnic crime
• Does not explain why offender cant hold dual
  values
• Does not explain upper- and middle-class crime
• Most research focuses on gangs

9
Subculture Strain
10
Subculture Strain

• Basic Idea
• Strain is adapted to collectively (in groups)
  rather than individually
• Human Nature
• Youth susceptible to peer pressure in the
  socialization process
• Society
• Some learn oppositional values and norms that
  replace those of the dominant culture

11
Albert Cohen

• Status Frustration and Delinquent Subcultures
• Most delinquent behavior occurs in group settings
• Focus on achievement/success that brings social
  status
• Lower-class youth are blocked at school
• Middle-class standards
• Creates strain and leads to status frustration
• Reaction formation
• Redefining values
• Dismissing school knowledge
• Ridiculing those with such knowledge

12
Albert Cohen

• Identified three subculture types
• Delinquent boy
• Participates in delinquency
• Corner boy
• Makes best of existing situation
• College boy
• Strives to achieve middle-class standards

13
Cloward Ohlin

• Differential Opportunity Alienated Youth
• Crime resulting from differential opportunity
  structures
• Illegitimate opportunity structure
• Strain producing frustration ? Alienation
• Identified 3 deviant subcultures
• Criminal subculture
• Crimes that bring
• Conflict subculture
• Violent or expressive crimes motivated by anger
• Retreatist subculture
• Dropouts (excessive alcohol and drug use)
• Double failures

14
Gang Research

• Concentrated among lower class minority groups
• However, no evidence of a sustained subculture
  with conflicting values
• Process of neutralizing their behavior
• No verification of Cloward Ohlins typologies

15
Subculture Strain

• CJ Policy CJ Practice
• Same as strain theories
• Evaluation
• Inequality of opportunity produces frustration
  and crime
• Explains violence
• Explains why people choose different crimes
• Does not explain middle-class crime
• Inconclusive empirical support

16
Subcultures (Mixed Models)

• Causal Logic
• Lower class culture (folkways) ?
• Millers focal concerns
• Blocked goals (status deprivation) creates status
  frustration ?
• Formation of delinquent subculture (gangs) ?
• Illegitimate opportunities must be available for
  people to capitalize
• Criminal
• Conflict
• Retreatist

17
Subcultures (Mixed Models)

• Assumptions
• Crime is not caused by , but by blocked goals
• It is the outcome of subcultures that are
  organized toward crime
• Scope
• Limited scope emphasis on lower class gangs
• Parsimony
• Less parsimonious than others, takes more to
  explain less
• Applicable Crimes
• Limited to those crimes committed by lower class
  gangs

18
Subcultures (Mixed Models)

• Strengths
• First time that gangs specifically received
  attention as a lower class phenomenon
• Weaknesses
• Limited scope
• New scheme needed for gang types
• Research is dated
• Retreatist gangs dont appear to exist