ABSTRACT
The roots of modern subcultural theory arose in the extraordinary creative ferment which occurred in American sociology of deviance in the late middle of the twentieth century. The influences of Durkheim and Merton became melded with the work of Edwin Sutherland, whilst learning from the phenomenological perspectives which accrued around labelling theory. David Downes, in his study of working class delinquency in Stepney and Poplar, invokes the definition of culture formulated by C. S. Ford, namely: ‘learned problem solutions’. That is subcultural responses are jointly elaborated solutions to collectively experienced problems. Without a doubt subcultural theory represents a significant advance in the study of crime. As a way of viewing juvenile crime and youth cultures, in particular, it has had enormous influence. In the act of granting the offenders meaning, it has dominated progressive criminology over the last fifty or more years.
