Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Sociology
Committee Chair
Douglas A. Marshall, Ph.D.
Advisor(s)
Nicole Carr, Ph.D., Sarah Koon-Magnin, Ph.D.
Abstract
Emile Durkheim is known as one of the founders of sociology. For Durkheim, crime and punishment were integral features of organized social life. Among his many ideas regarding law, he hypothesized that as societies develop from less to more 'advanced,' there would be a shift from mechanical to organic solidarity. Durkheim believed this social transformation could be measured by a society's form of law, with predominantly penal law among simple societies and complex societies evolving into a more civil and restorative form of law. In contradiction to Durkheim's assertation, I will argue that societies can evolve to be highly advanced while maintaining a punitive form of law. I will use organized crime groups from different geographical locations and time periods as specific examples of social complexifications without Durkheim's supposed evolution of law.
Recommended Citation
Rader, Mary M.G., "Organized Crime: A Test of Durkhein's Theory of Punishment and Society" (2023). Theses and Dissertations . 148.
https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/theses_diss/148