C&D LABELLING THEORY Flashcards
Social action theory
interpretivists, labelling theory focusing on individuals, micro impacting macro - anti structuralist
Social action beliefs on crime
not determined by social background rather active individual and interactions
2 examples of crime in relation to social action and theory
> negative label - self fulfilling prophecy - commit more crime - master status
> influences from others to commit crime - subcultures or parents especially gyspy roma
Labelling theory official statistics
official statistics are social constructs - label attached to certain social groups - less valid - stereotypes made on peoples backgrounds - e.g. w/c and ethnic groups - African Carribean boys - social agencies - police - increase in those areas finding more crime - inaccurate data.
Lemert
Primary deviance
Secondary deviance
Primary deviance
- deviant behaviour that hasn’t been labelled - few consequences as such as under age drinking
Secondary deviance
Deviance that has been repeated by a person and has now been publicly labelled as deviant - leading to self fulfilling prophecy and crime is repeated
E.g. relating doing drugs - Becker labelling theory
Cicourel
Neo Marxist
Police stereotyping studying patrol officers which determines labels of criminals which more likely to be applied to w/c offenders
Cicourel study
Officers typication concentrated on certain w/c groups and law enforcements show class bias with stronger patrol officers on w/c people
Cicourel in relation to Becker labelling theory
Selective enforcement as upper class and white crimes ignored
M/c less likely to be typified by agents of social control(police) as believe crime was a one off ( vandalism) and form positive opinions - apologies- elaborate code Bernstein
However same crime w/c restricted code Bernstein less likely to be apologetic primary socialisation - not taught values of respect - convicted
Becker
Consequence of the label attached after act
Becker e.g.
White m/c man committing assault in streets less likely to be caught and negatively labelled compared to African Caribbean boy labelled and associated with game crime - stigmatisation- over represented in crime statistics Stephen Lawrence inquiry
Master status
the thing that defines you - labelled as a criminal and that’s what your known for - commit more crimes.
Moral entrepreneurs
People who create and enforce rules and therefore impose definitions of deviance
Police and lawyers/judges
Mainowski study incest applied by Becker
Process of rule enforcement
Circumstance deviant
Power deviant label
Consequence labelled
Process of rule enforcement
Different response to rule breaking whether police was called or not
Circumstance - person becomes deviant
Act - labelled
Power to attach deviant label
Moral entrepreneur - Security guard
Consequence
Labelled convicted - prison
Consequence of labelling
Self fulfilling prophecy - identify - master status - more crime
Deviancy amplification - society reaction to deviant act - increase in amount of crime
Evaluation
+ shows how deviant careers develop and form
- deterministic don’t always accept label conformist - reject not passive functionalist agree rational choice meritocracy
Doesn’t commit more crime - doesn’t explain cause of stereotypes originally - Cicourel - Becker
- doesn’t explain all crime like crimes of passion feminist wouldn’t get negatively labelled
