Functions of Crime

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, crime is defined as an act punishable by law, as being forbidden by statute or injurious to the public welfare. Even though it varies in nature, crime is found in almost every society known to man. There is no society that is not confronted with the problem of criminality (Durkheim). Despite the obvious social costs of crime, some crimes make important contribution to the operation of a social system.

Crime is functional for society because the community’s reaction to it brings the community together and strengthens its moral boundaries (Warner). When a law is violated, especially within small communities, everyone talks about it. Sometimes there are town meetings held, articles written in local new publications, and in general a social community comes to live with activities when a “norm” is broken. The trial and the sentence are occasions for newspaper and other media to concentrate and