subcultural theory

... Sub cultural theory " To what extent do Functionalist sub cultural theories help to explain the relationship between the environment and crime?" (40) Subcultural theories share the common belief that people who commit crime usually share different values from the mass of law-abiding members of society. For example, some groups of criminals might develop norms that encourage criminal behaviour. On the other hand, some members of society would regard this as immoral and wrong. A subculture is defined as " a subdivision within the dominant culture that has its own norms, values and belief system". These subcultures usually emerge when individuals find themselves isolated or excluded from mainstream society. Members of subcultures are not any different from other members of society; however, they do hold a set of their own "amended" values that justify their criminal behaviour. Sociologists find it useful to distinguish between two main types of sub-culture; Reactive and

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