Applying material from Item A and your own knowledge, evaluate the usefulness of subcultural approaches in understanding crime and deviance (30 marks)

Understanding why crime and deviance has occurred and continues to do so has been a topic debated often with sociologists at the forefront. There are various different views as to why this is the case including Subcultural theory, however overall it appears to be less useful in allowing the world to understand crime and deviance, than some of its counterparts (such as Functionalism)One reason why subcultural theory can be seen as useful is that it looks at why certain groups commit crime and how they share the same line of reasoning. Delinquents do indeed commit crime but have methods to help justify why they do so. Matza refers to this as Techniques of Neutralisation which is also supported by Item A: “to justify their criminal activities”. This is a process by which those committing the crime avoid accepting the responsibility for it, instead shifting the blame onto someone or something else. For example, a person may join a gang and blame it on the location – as it is the only way to survive in the area. This makes crime seem acceptable to those committing it and as a result they are under the impression that they haven’t done anything wrong. Alongside this, given that they see crime as a necessary means to an end, they also don’t see themselves as criminals, which in the circumstances make it highly likely that they will join a subculture (or already be in one such as a gang) with others in the same situation. This process can also be supported by the work of Miller and his delinquent boys research that found the desperation for peer approval to be negative and a key factor into why so many young boys turn to crime, as a way to maintain status within their friendship groups. However, this can be criticised, as when Wilmott studied subcultures in London, he found little evidence to suggest that they were influential on crime and was sceptical as to whether they truly existed. Therefore, whilst subcultures can be seen as a reason behind crime and deviance, which is highly useful in our understanding of its occurrence, it is also difficult to find sufficient evidence that say they exist.