Durkheim, Anomie, Crime, and Punishment

Emile Durkheim is well known but poorly understood in the disciplines of criminology and criminal justice. His concept of anomie is often oversimplified to mean a state of normlessness. In fact, there are five related conceptions of the concept stated in his works. The purpose of this work is to summarize what is known about relationships between anomie, crime, and punishment. Whereas there is more evidence supporting relationships between anomie and various types of crime, the evidence with regard to the relationship between anomie and punishment is far less clear. This article attempts to provide clarity.