Crime and deviance: Labelling Flashcards
Who talks about primary and secondary deviance?
Lemert
Primary deviance
Insignificant deviant acts that havent been publicly labelled. People commit these deviances but they have no significance for a persons status or identity. E.g. fare dodging.
Secondary deviance
The result of societys reaction to particular deviances and therefore labelling occurs. If people are publically stigmatised as criminal, they may be shunned or excluded from normal society, thus making their criminal identity become their **master status **
What can happen if someones criminal identity becomes their master status?
A persons master status can have a huge impact on their self concept and future actions. E.g. a person who has been in prison may struggle to successfully intergrate themselves back into society as they cant find legitimate employment, leading to a deviant career and therefore developing a **self fulfilling prophecy. **
Why do labelling theorist use the deviance amplification spiral?
Labelling theorists use this to explain how social reactions as well as attempts to control deviance can increase levels of deviance.
Young
Labelling and marijauna users: Young believes that because of labelling, Marijuana users were looked at negatively. This can be sensationalised on the media, which could turn them into folk devils by labelling them as drug users, this then create a moral panic, causing the police to crack down harder on marijuana users, causing them to feel like outsiders.
Explain the deviance amplification spiral.
The press exaggerate reports of events, leading to growing public concern -> ‘Moral entrepeneurs’ and the police begin to respond by arresting those associated with the events (folk devils) -> Courts impose harsher sentences to the folk devils and policies are made to reduce crime, folk devils are seen as outsiders and therefore commit more crime to get by.
How does the deviance ampification spiral link back to secondary deviance?
It explains how societys reaction to a deviance can lead to further deviance.
What happens if authorities are constantly policing folk devils?
It can deter authorities from catching those who are involved in the dark figure of crime. E.g. dometic violence or child abuse.
What are the two types of shaming Braithwaite mentions?
Reintergrative and disintergrative
What does Braithewaite argue about shaming and reintergration?
Braithewaite argues that if offenders are shamed, it can make them feel remorse. He argues that crime rates are low in societies where shaming has great social power.
Who talks about shame and reintergration?
Braithewaite
Mods and rockers
Cohen discusses how the media picked up the story on the bikers and negatively labelled them, making them out to be folk devils. This caused a moral panic in society in which cause the bikers behaviours to worsen.
Disintergrative shaming
An individual is labelled and shamed and becomes an outsider. They are an outsider beyond the community and arent allowed to absorb back into society, therefore they are more likely to carry on with the deviance. E.g. R. Kelly
Reintergrative shaming
The act is labelled and not the person. The individual is shamed and experiences the disapproval of the community, however they have the opportunity to rejoin the community E.g. Chris Brown and Cheryl Cole.
Which shaming is likely to make more crime happen and which shaming is likely to make less crime happen and why?
Disintergrative = more because their crime has become their master status, they wont be able to succeed legitimately so will commit more crime to get by.
Reintergrative = Less because they have a second chance of doing the right thing they wont commit crime in order to be a part of society.
What does labelling theory ignore?
Evaluation
It ignores other factors contributing to crime and fails to explain why people commit crime in the first place e.g. strain, subculture etc.
Is the labelling theory deterministic?
Evaluation
Yes, it fails to look are those who are not labelled but are also deviant. Also, not everyone internalises their master status and becomes criminal.
How does labelling theory link back to crime statistics (evaluation)
Labelling theory helps us to understand how crime statistics are inaccurate due to labelling and biasness of the criminal justice system and police.
Does labelling theory explain all types of crimes committed?
Evaluation
Labelling only explains why some people commit less serious, more petty crimes as opposed to severe crimes e.g. mass murders.
What type of theory is interactionism and what does it look at?
Social action theory. It looks at how peoples actions are motivated and the meaning that social action has for those participating in it.This includes looking at how and why particular groups and individuals are defined as deviant and the effects this definition has on their future.
What do interactionist argue deviance as?
Socially constructed, they arent fixed or universal definitions e.g. the definition of right and wrong differs according to social context.
‘The outsiders’
Labelling theorist say that no behaviour is wrong until someone else says it is. No act ia naturally or inherently criminal. **Crime is not about what you do - it is about how others see it. **
Moral entrepeneurs
They determine what is and is not acceptable in society - with a focus on protecting young people. These people are typically part of the ruling class or governement and create these laws.
