The subcultural approach to juvenile delinquency focuses on the various ways in which different subcultures impact on crime and deviance statistics. Subculture refers to groups of people who share the same norms and values as mainstream society but have also adopted their own set of norms for various reasons which they can all relate to.
Subcultural theories stem from ecological theories of crime. The Chicago School studied the impact of urbanisation on the behaviour of people living in cities. Criminal or deviant behaviour was related to various factors according to the Chicago School Study. They linked crime with the biological analogy which refers to the struggle for space linked to housing with the least successful having to live in the worst areas such as zone 2 which was seen as one of the most run down areas to live with a lot of immigrants settling here. Zone 2 had the highest crime rate in the city and developed a state of social disorganisation with weak social bonds and no value consensus. It was argued that these cultural norms would be transmitted from generation to generation therefore enabling them to continue.
Albert Cohen (1995) was the first sociologist to develop a subcultural theory of working class crime. He supported the idea that subculture related directly to criminal activity and studied groups of working class boys who had underachieved in education. In particular, he looked at delinquent gangs living in inner city areas from low income families. Cohen along with other sociologists such as Merton agreed that the mainstream value of success created problems for young working class males as many of them did badly at school and failed to gain the skills needed to succeed in a capitalist society. Cohen used the concept “status frustration” in order to describe the way that young working class males become easily frustrated with their low status in society as a result of their lack of income or underachievement. Due to this they are often labelled and get little respect from their peers or elders, this can be related to crime as they feel as if there is no alternative but to steel the possessions they want in order to stop being labelled or classed as a “loser”. Furthermore, the anti school subculture which they are often part of provides them with the ideology that education is not particularly important and therefore they do not necessarily need to succeed. Cohen argues that they look to subculture as a solution as they are able to identify with other people who face the same problems as them. In Cohen’s words, members of such subcultures take the norms and values of mainstream society and turn them “upside down.” , whereas anti social and criminal behaviour is looked down upon by wider society, it is highly valued by the delinquent subculture , providing a solution to status frustration. By succeeding in terms of the values of a delinquent subculture, members gain respect from their peers which they would not otherwise have. In relation to non utilitarian crime, subcultural theory claims that non monetary crimes such as joy riding and vandalism can gain respect and status within gangs and among certain peer groups which encourages them among delinquent juveniles.
Sociologists such as Cloward and Ohlin also support the subcultural approach to crime and deviance. They too focus on the working class and different types of delinquency. Although they agree with Merton’s view that delinquency results from legitimate opportunity structures being closed to many working class males, the criticise both Merton and Cohen for failing to explain why delinquent subcultures take different forms. The sociologists argue that different social environments provide different opportunities for crime and deviance which affect or encourage the different types of delinquent subcultures. The identify three types of delinquent subculture; criminal, which often takes place in areas of high adult crime rate. It refers to young working class men who look up to older criminals as role models and believe that in order to gain status and respect, they must commit criminal activity. Cloward and Ohlin also refer to the conflict subculture which tends to develop in areas where there is a high turnover of population and a low level of social cohesion. Young men in such environments often become frustrated as they cannot succeed legitimately or illegitimately and therefore often turn to gang violence giving them status within their gang and gaining them the respect which they need. They also look at the retretist subculture which tends to emerge among those who have failed to succeed either by legitimate means or as members of conflict or criminal subcultures, the only option left for these people is to resteat to the use of illegal drugs. Cloward and Ohlin prove that working class crime is not just about material crime and identify a number of explanations for delinquent subcultures. However, the tend to ignore the overlaps between the different types of subculture.
Phill Coen analysed subculture from a Marxist viewpoint and analysed them in both their immediate and wider contexts. He looked at mods and rockers, trying to explain reasons for their delinquent behaviour. When looking at the immediate context, he argued that during the 1960s British society had been pulled apart as a result of redevelopment where large numbers of people moved out of towns to find work and cheaper accommodation. Furthermore, the loss of jobs on the docks resulted in a decline of the extended family as most people were moving away to find employment. When looking at the wider context, he analyses issues such as status frustration and claimed that youth cultures developed due to a loss of community, but also reflected the divisions in society as a whole. Coen’s work has often been criticised as feminists claimed that it ignored women. Furthermore, Muggleton criticised Coen as he claimed that people did not always stick to one distinctive style and style surfed, he also argued that young people did not always dress in a certain way to try and make a statement.
Whilst subcultural theory tends to ignore female delinquent behaviour, sociologist Debbie Archer conducted a study focussing specifically on girl gangs. She looked at the Hip Hop culture and analysed the ways in which black female gangs developed with the contribution of Hip Hop music which helped to express their emotions and status frustration within they lyrics and the dance moves. Archer argues that many black females in the 1970’s felt marginalised to issues such as racism, sexism and stereotyping, she claimed that becoming part of a subculture helped these girls to deal with their feelings and allowed them to associate with people who were in similar situations to them. Furthermore as these girl came from female headed families, they lacked a male role model and believed that men were not important and were not needed in their lives. They learned to be independent and did not rely on men. Similarly sociologist Alexander focussed specifically on Asian gangs and aimed to see if they were as delinquent as other ethnic groups. Alexander looked at the Bradford Riots of 1995 and moral panics such as “Islamophoboia”. He carried out research on an estate in London and focussed on the ways in which Asian gangs were labelled at school simply for being part of a gang although there was no evidence of delinquency. He concluded that the Asian gang was a myth and to the gang members, it was more about brotherhood than criminal activity.
To conclude, the concept of subculture is useful when trying to explain juvenile delinquency as it has provided sociologists such as Cohen and Cloward and Ohlin explanations for youth crime within society, however, sociologists such as Alexander found that youth subcultures did not necessarily link with crime and therefore failed to provide an adequate explanation for juvenile delinquency.