Durkheim’s study of suicide showed how the seemingly individualistic decision to take one’s own life was due to social and economic issues

In this way Durkheim was able to show how social factors explained individual and group action such as crime

Durkheim’s ideas were significant because they moved the emphasis away from factors with the individual as Lombroso suggested to the social

Durkheim suggested as external social forces caused suicide, then external forces could also cause recidivism

Durkheim viewed crime as a social fact-a feature of societies, not of individuals

Durkheim noted that crime was endemic in all societies and therefore saw crime as having positive social function

This he reasoned was because society needed positive deviation and therefore negative deviation was inevitable

Crime is a positive aspect of society as it helps produce a moral consensus in society

Therefore crime helps establish a social consensus about what is right and wrong in society

Crime establishes a ‘collective conscience’ about what is and isn’t criminal/deviant behaviour

Therefore crime has a positive function as it establishes and maintains a social consensus

By CThompson christhomp@aol.com