Crime cannot just be ignored in society. Different perspectives explain the cause of it among them functionalist theories, Marx theory as well as feminist theory. The cause could be society itself providing loop holes for crime or be assumed to be part of a healthy society life (Akers 2009: 314). It therefore needs all the schools of thought to reach a consensus on how crime comes about.
The proponents of functionalism such as Darwin and Durkheim portray the society as a mechanism that has very many structures that operate for the common good of everyone. Crime is always on the increase because it is inevitable because it is a necessity for a normal society. When crime exists, according to them, this translates to the people understanding that the government accommodates everyone regardless of their background. For example, a thief is accommodated because it means that he or she is allowed room to do whatever he feels like.
The Marxist school of thought on the other hand looks at society as a mechanism characterized by social inequality thus leading to conflicts(Akers 2009: 327). They argue that power and inequality are what drive society therefore leading to the increase in crime. Powerful forces, according to them, dictate how society operates. The powerful will then continue to be powerful while the poor will continue being poor.
The feminism school of thought on its part argues that other schools of thought have been male dominated in regard to them explain male behavior and not female crime. This then means that gender balance should be looked at from both males and females (Hale 20101). Feminists think that other schools of thought have made wrong assumptions about crime in society. It comes as no surprise that feminists want double standards to be abolished in looking into crime.
The society is used to measure whether it functions normally or not in regard to crime and deviance. In view of all the theories that seek to explain the existence of crime, both in one way or another offer a tangible reason why crime does exist. Both subjective and objective structural aspects of social life do count. Norms and values cut across all theories.
Reference
Akers, R. (2009). Social Learning and Social Learning: A General Theory of Crime and Deviance. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers
Hale, S. (2010). Contested Sociology: Rethinking Canadian Experience. Toronto: Pearson
