What does Durkheim mean when he says that crime is "normal"? Identify at least two ways in which this observation is linked with his overall view. In recent years dozens of students have been shot and killed or injured by other students, some as young as 11. How do you think Durkheim and Moynihan would analyze this child-murderer phenomenon? How would you analyze it?
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It is common belief that Functionalists would argue that crime is bad for society because it can lead to the breakdown of it. Imagine a society where everyone ran by their own rules and there was no control whatsoever. However Durkheim shows that, yes, to much crime is bad but too little crime is also bad for society. He highlights the two functions of crime within any society