Anomie, normality and the function of crime from Robert Merton's perspective, and its incidence in criminology

This article exposes the criminological theory developed by Robert Merton from his study of crime in the United States society. For this purpose, reference is made in the introduction of the economic, social and legal conditions of his time, by contextualizing the theory of anomie developed by Merton within the framework of structural functionalism thought. Subsequently, the importance of his approaches, by associating them with later formulations and the systemic theory of integrating prevention; and, finally, conclusions are exposed.