Cloward & Ohlin's Theory of Delinquent Subcultures — Revisited
| Date | 01 October 1989 |
| Published date | 01 October 1989 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X8906200405 |
| Author | Peter MacKay |
| Subject Matter | Article |
When I retired in 1958 the police force had seen many changes and
since then many more have taken place. In 1924 policemen invariably
looked the part being tall and smart. The Nottingham City police had a
minimum height of 6
flo
Being a member of the police force was looked
upon as a profession - not a
job
where pay has increased out
of
all
proportion to the work involved, except in some cases, and where the
public, especiallythe youngergeneration, do not look upon thepolice with
the same reverence as in the past.
PETER MACKAY
Cloward &Ohlin's Theory of
Delinquent Subcultures -
revisited
'Overviews of the sociology
of
crime - or indeed, the sociology of
anything-frequently give an impressionof a relatively unproblematic
linear movement from one theory to another. They also frequently
over-emphasize the homogeneityof the theories classified together.'
(Fitzgerald, 1980, p.5)
In order tocritically analyse Clowardand Ohlin's theory of delinquent
subcultures aconsiderable amount of sociological material needs to be
examined - it is important that the passage from Fitzgerald's work is
understood and used as a backbone in the following paper.
To introduce Cloward and Ohlin'swork itis necessary to understand
the theories of Emile Durkheimand Robert Merton whose cluster of ideas
come under the umbrella-term of 'Affmity Theories'. Muncie and
Fitzgerald (1981) note that such theories draw heavily on the principles
establishedby a school of sociology known as 'structural functionalism'.
The premise behind these theories is that societies are systems of inter-
related parts, with the majority of individuals acting in accord with each
other because they share common standards and values. Parsons (1951)
argued that those who escape this socialisation via the process above are
seen as deviants by those participating in this process. In order to bring
about 'correctbehaviour', systems ofcoercion and punishmentareenforced
- the deviant personality is thus defined! This is an importantpointas the
affinity theories which willbetackled in this paper share this functionalist
outlook.'
Durkheim argued that not only was deviation 'natural' but that it
was implicit in the idea
of
society:
'Imaginea society of saints, a perfect cloister of exemplaryindividuals.
Crimes properly so-called will there be unknown; but faults which
1. The theories 10 be analysed will be those of Merton, Cohen and obviouslyCloward
and Ohlin.
290
October 1989
To continue reading
Request your trial