Summarize the significant features of sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin's illegitimate opportunity theory and describe the three types of gangs identified by them

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin suggested that for deviance to occur, people must have access to illegitimate opportunity structures—circumstances that provide an opportunity for people to acquire through illegitimate activities what they cannot achieve through legitimate channels. For example, gang members may have insufficient legitimate means to achieve conventional goals of status and wealth but have illegitimate opportunity structures—such as theft, drug dealing, or robbery— through which they can achieve these goals. Based on their research, three basic gang types were identified—criminal, conflict, and retreatist—that emerge on the basis of what type of illegitimate opportunity structure is available in a specific area. The criminal gang is devoted to theft, extortion, and other illegal means of securing an income. For example, for young men who grow up in a criminal gang, running drug houses and selling drugs on street corners make it possible for them to support themselves and their families as well as purchase material possessions to impress others. Conflict gangs emerge in communities that do not provide either legitimate or illegitimate opportunities. Members of conflict gangs seek to acquire a reputation by fighting over territory and adopting a value system of toughness, courage, and similar qualities. Members of retreatist gangs are unable to gain success through legitimate means and are unwilling to do so through illegal ones. As a result, the consumption of drugs is stressed, and addiction is prevalent.