Wayward Cops: The Functions of Deviance in Groups Reconsidered

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Abstract
This study reports on three deviant social types in small police departments: the “door man,” the “mouth man,” and the “wheel man.” Functionalists traditionally have focused on the abstract, collective functions of deviance but this work concentrates on the practical and individualistic uses of marginal group members. It is argued that deviant roles provide institutionalized means by which non-deviant members may indirectly violate or evade norms when it is to their advantage to do so. It is for these reasons that groups may need their deviants.

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