Interactionism And Labelling Theory Flashcards
Becker- Defining deviance
Becker argues an act only becomes deviant when it is labelled as such. Whether or not labelled is applied depends on the audience. This intern depends on who, when and the act was committed.
Example- the act of injecting heroine into the veins is deviant. If a nurse gives a patient drugs under doctors orders, it’s perfectly proper. It is when it’s done in a way that is not perfectly proper, it’s defined as deviant.
Becker- Defining deviance EVALUATION
+ Becker ideas shows us how official crime statistics may be socially constructed rather than objective social facts,gives us a critical way of analysing crime in society.
X Becker does not give us a way on how to tackle crime effectively, offers a way of how crime is comes to be seen but does not offer how to reduce it.
Piliavin and Briar- Typification
Argue that the police had stereotypical images of what criminals looked like ‘typifications’. Police based their decisions to arrest of physical cues such as manner, dress, ethnicity and class. This shows police do label people as more criminal, these factors affect wether they arrest or not.
Piliavin and Briar- Typification EVALUATION
+ Show us official crime statistics can be shaped by police stereotypes, help us to see why there are differences about gender class and ethnicity within the prison population.
X To deterministic as not all police will operate of typification, makes a very negative view on the CJS.
Cicourel- The negotiation of justice
Argues that police’s decisions to arrest are based of stereotypical views of offenders. Held common sense ideas that juvenile delinquency was caused by broken homes and inadequate socialisation.
Argues that the middle class are able to negotiate their justice and are often not prosecuted for the crimes they commit. Because of money for better lawyers and connections.
Cicourel- The negotiation of justice EVALUATION
+ Marxist would support the idea, would argue the law is ‘selectively enforced’ and there is a bias against the working class in the CJS.
X Study was conducted in cities in California, not a representative sample, therefore this limits the usefulness of his findings as we cannot apply this to the whole of the CJS.
