Critically Evaluate The Contribution Made By Subcultural Sociologists In Understanding Crime & Deviance

... Critically Evaluate The Contribution Made By Subcultural Sociologists In Understanding Crime & Deviance. There have been many sociological explanations in attempting to understand crime and deviance in our society, some of the earliest being the contributions made by Subcultural sociology and interpretivists. Before Subcultural sociology however, crime and deviance was explained by social control: Durkheim's state of anomie as well as Etzioni's communitarianism focused predominantly on a breakdown of social cohesion and changes in the community. These theories centred on how changes in our society produced deviant behaviour. Subcultural sociology however centres on how those who commit crime hold different values to mainstream society and how these values can 'justify' crime. Many subculturalists have adapted different theories but all centre on understanding how deviance is more apparent within white working class boys; based on the national statistics for crime, which at the time (1950+) were seen as accurate. Whilst these theories have

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