Question
Who has stated that crime is a normal behavior ?
The correct answer is
Emile Durkheim
Durkheim's View: Crime as Normal Behavior
The statement that crime is a normal behavior is attributed to the foundational sociologist Emile Durkheim.
Durkheim argued that crime is not only normal but also necessary for a healthy society.
- Normality of Crime: He viewed crime as an inevitable aspect of social life, just like birth or death. Every society produces crime.
- Functionality of Crime: Crime serves essential functions:
- It helps reaffirm social norms and values by drawing a line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
- Punishment for crime reinforces the collective conscience (shared morals) of the community.
- Crime can also signal the need for social change, prompting revisions in laws and norms when they become outdated or unjust.
Therefore, according to Durkheim's sociological perspective, crime is a standard part of social organization.
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Important Questions from Basic Sociology
- Gender is socially constructed, while sex is biologically given' is a statement that could be attributed to :
- Illegal activities carried out by minors are :
(a) Organized crime
(b) Unorganized crime
(c) Juvenile delinquencies
(d) Professional crime
Select the correct answer from the codes given below : Match List – I with List – II and select the answer from the codes given below the lists :
List – I
(Theories)List – II
(Sociologists)a. Classical theory i. Lambroso b. Geographical theory ii. Sutderland c. Typological theory iii. Quetlet d. Sociological theory iv. Becaria - Who, among the following, held that deviance might be functional and positive ?
- Which type of criminals have been discussed by Sutherland in his work 'Principles of Criminology' ?
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