interactionalist theories of crime

Question 1

becker - labelling theory

Answer 1

argue that no act is inherently criminal or deviant in itself in all situations and all times

Question 2

moral entrepreneur

Answer 2

individual or small group who bring up an issue in society

Question 3

example of a moral entrepreneur

Answer 3

greta thuberg, the bible belt during prohibition

Question 4

moral crusade

Answer 4

campaign

Question 5

platt

Answer 5

argues that the idea of ‘juvenile delinquency’ was originally created as a result of a campaign by upper class victorian moral entrepreneurs, aimed at protecting young people at risk

Question 6

Cicourel - typification

Answer 6

• the police show a class bias when dealing with suspects
• w/c areas were more likely targetted due to negative labels of the w/c
• middle class can negotiate their way out of prosecution

Question 7

lemert - primary deviance

Answer 7

deviant acts which have not been publicly labelled (e.g fare dodging)

Question 8

lemert - secondary deviance

Answer 8

the result of secondary reaction

Question 9

lemert - master status

Answer 9

loose your sense of worth in society and believe your label

Question 10

lemert - deviant career

Answer 10

joining a deviant subculture that offers deviant career opportunities and role models rewards devinat behaviour and confirms their deviant identity

Question 11

example of the CJS preventing this cycle

Answer 11

portugal decriminalsing drug usage

Question 12

triplett

Answer 12

notes an increasing tendency to see young offenders as evil and to be less tolerant of minor deviance

Question 13

de haan

Answer 13

notes a similar outcome in Holland as a result of the increasing stigmatisation of young offenders

Question 14

braithwaite - disintegrative shaming

Answer 14

where not only the crime, but also the criminal is labelled as bad and the offender is excluded from society

Question 15

braithwaite - reintegrative shaming

Answer 15

lables the act but not the actor

Question 16

what are the benefits of reintegrative shaming?

Answer 16

• avoids stigmatising the offender as evile while the same time making them aware of the negative impact of their actions upon others
• avoids pushing them into secondary deviance
  crime rates tend to be lower in societies where reintegrative shaming is dominant

Question 17

where is reintegrative shaming practised?

Answer 17

scandinavian countries

Question 18

what are the criticisms of interactionalist theories?

Answer 18

• too deterministic > labelling does not always lead to a deviant career
• certain crimes do not need labelling for us to believe its wrong (e.g child abuse)
• ignores the fact people may actively choose deviance

Question 19

what is the realist criticism of interactionalism?

Answer 19

that it does not look at the causes of why primary deviance happens

Question 20

what is the marxist criticism of interactionalism?

Answer 20

focuses in ‘middle-range officials’ that give the label but fail to analyse the capitalist people at the top of the hierarchy that made the rules and laws in the first place