Crime - interactionist theories of crime Flashcards
what do interactionists say about crime
crime is a social construction in which no act is inherently criminal or deviant, it becomes one when others label it as such - its a product of societys reaction to actions
whats does becker say about labelling theory
a deviant is someone who has been succesfully labelled & deviant behaviour is only what people have labelled as such. labelled based on class gender & ethnicity
what example does becker use for labelling
fight between young people - one in low class neighbourhood more likely to be defined by the police as evidence of delinquency, but in a wealthy area its evidence of high spirits. same act but meanings given by audience differ
what does becker say about moral entrenepeurs
rules and laws made by entrenepeurs- those who lead a moral crusade to change the law.
what 2 effects do moral entrenepeurs have
creates outsiders, those who werent deviant now are e.g law in uk outlawed all legal highs meaning shops that sold them went from legal to illegal overnite
also expands social control agencies like the police to impose labels on offenders
whats an evaluation of becker
writing in 1963 so doesnt consider people labelled based off of sexuality as it wasnt considered
what does lemert (supports becker) say about labelling
primary deviance - deviant acts that havent been publicly labelled as criminal
secondary deviance - deviant acts/people thatve been labelled, can lead to master status and deviant career
what does lemert say about process of labelling - secondary deviance
deviant act commited, its witnessed, the person is labelled, theyre rejected by society, they then reject society, ends up in deviant career & becomes their master status
whats a master status
the individual’s deviant identity overrules all other identities
what does cicourel say about the negotiation of justice
officers’ stereotypes of the typical criminal class makes them concentrate on the types that are most likely to offend e.g lower class
negotiation of justice - what does cicourel say about class bias
police patrol w/c areas more, sustaining their labels on the w/c
negotiation of justice - how does the middle class negotiate their way out of criminal proceedings
dont fit the picture of a ‘typical delinquent (looking dishevelled, using slang), & parents can present themselves as respectable and reasonable from a nice neighbourhood, co-operate fully with the officers, & assure that their child is remorseful
what does ciourel say about consequences of labelling
labels create stereotypes which lead to selective law enforcement
what example can be applied to cicourel
lavinia woodward case - oxford student only recieved 10 month suspension for stabbing bf
whats a strength and criticism of cicourel
laws arent fixed and can be seen to be enforced in a discriminatory way
but doesnt explain why w/c are labelled originally & too much focus on police, not enough on capitalist gov (marxists)
what does jock young (supports lemert) say about consequences of labelling
studied drug takers in notting hill, examplifying key concepts - folk devils & deviance amplification spiral. labels generate more crime
whats jock youngs drug study
police arrest drug users for minor offences, media take these stories and then have their ‘folk devils’ (drug takers) and so generates moral panic abt them. in response, police focus harder on these folk devils, pushing the drug takers underground, raising police suspicion and drug prices up also making the police crack down and more media coverage. the drug takers then resist arrest, take new drugs and organise better (more deviance)
whats cohens study of mods and rockers
study of two youth subcultures of the 1960s. showed how the media exaggerated the violence that sometimes happened between them. lead to the young people categorising themselves as either mods or rockers which created more violence, further helping to confirm them as violent in the eyes of the general public
whats does cohen say about consequences of labelling
concept of the deviance amplification spiral - media exaggeration began moral panic, moral entrenepeurs calling for crackdown, demonising the mods and rockers as folk devils, margalising them and in turn creating more deviance
what does braithwaite say about criminal justice policy
labelling can have negative and positive effects depending on the type of shaming done
whats braithwaites disintergrative shaming
negative, the crime and criminal labelled as bad and person is excluded from society
whats braithwaites intergrative shaming
positive, labelling the act not the actor so avoids stigmatisation. person is made aware of the negative impact of their action, encouraging others to forgive them so they can reintegrate back into society
what are strengths of labelling theory
emphasises social constructs of crime & identifies and reveals role of the powerful in crime and deviance.
shows how deviant careers can be created
what are criticisms of labelling theory
assumes victims of labelling are passive, ignores that people choose to commit crime
- the deviant becomes the victim of labelling and then isnt blamed for behaviour, ignores real victim
-fails to explain ppl who deviate before being labelled
