Emile Durkheim Research Paper

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Crime might be endemic to all societies. It has been long argued that crime serves several functions in our society, which could be classified as either socially functional or dysfunctional. Emile Durkheim believed that a certain amount of crime is necessary and healthy for any society. He reasoned that crime is not only inevitable, but also functional for society. Durkheim identified both positive side as well as negative effects of crime. According to his book the Rules of Sociological Method (1895), Durkheim pointed out that crime and consecutive punishment provides positive effects on society as it establishes and reassures the social norms of a society; whereas too much crime leads to social disruption.

Positive aspects of crime …show more content…

In other words, it means that deviance acts bring back the boundaries to focus to the society as well as clarifying the social boundaries. When an individual is taken to the court due to committing a crime or breaking a law, the court dramatise the wrong doing of the person and stigmatise the offender publicly by means of reporting crimes in newspapers, radio or television. In addition, Durkheim also believes that social consensus could be clearly marked out by punishing the offenders. Punishment is a lesson for future criminals as well as it serves the purpose of strengthening public solidarity because by punishing the offenders, it creates fear among potential criminals and most importantly, it unites the society against deviant behaviours when the public witnesses the suffering of the norm-breakers (Thompson, 2009). This function could be more effective in societies that still practice the public punishment system. For example, in some American states such as Taxes, the use of lethal injection is still being practiced where the public can witness and watch the process of executions. As a result, crime reinforces the boundaries of the community making it functional, positive and

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