Cicorel’s Theory - Labelling Theory

Question 1

What does cicourel argue?

Answer 1

• how labelling and social stereotypes influences the outcome cases
• he found that social factors, including race, social class played a significant role in the outcome

Question 2

What did cicourel find? - ‘two cities compared ‘

Answer 2

• selective law enforcement - biased against groups = stats are socially constructed
• subjective perception and stereotypes ( typification ) of what criminals look like = leads to social construction of crime stats
• rise in w/c stats compared to m/c stats
• police believed that m/c came from ‘good backgrounds’
• w/c police took form actions/ arrests

Question 3

What is cicouel’s Negotiation of Justice theory?

Answer 3

• justice = social interactions
• inflicted of social class = m/c juveniles treated more leniently
• language and communications
• negations process: since the m/c tend to pay families/ lawyers and judges
• the system is not neutral, decisions can be inflicted y social class, race and institutional norms

Question 4

Strength for cicourel’s theory?

Answer 4

• it highlights how the decision making process in the justice system could reinforce social inequalities
• it demonstrates how the law is selectively enforced and that crime statistics are socially constructed

Question 5

A03 for negotiable of justice

Answer 5

• Braithwaite suggests that a policy response that could avoid this consequence is reintegrative shaming this labels the act but not the actor
• labelling is stigmatised