interactionism and labelling theory

Question 1

BECKER - products of labelling theory

Answer 1

• crime is a product of interactions between suspects and the police/courts
• typically, those with power do the labelling

Question 2

BECKER - moral entrepreneurs

Answer 2

groups who construct deviance by creating more laws and therefore the expansion of social control agencies

Question 3

PLATT - juvenile delinquents

Answer 3

• created by victorian moral entrepreneurs
• establishes juveniles as separate offenders
• young people now criminals due to their age e.g. truancy, sexual promiscuity

Question 4

CICOUREL - participant observation

Answer 4

• worked as a probation officer, found police held a stereotypical view of juvenile delinquents
• typification: stereotypes of what a criminal is like
• usually, WC youths which led to intense policing in these areas
• these arrests become statistics

Question 5

EDWIN LEMERT - labels

Answer 5

primary deviance - acts that are not publicly labelled due to little significance e.g. drugs, speeding and litter dropping

secondary deviance - is publicly labelled and relates to public relations

master status - label applied successfully so all other qualities are irrelevant

Question 6

STEPHEN COHEN - mods and rockers

Answer 6

• deviancy amplification spiral through exaggerated media reports
• police made more arrests: media reported more deviance = further disruption
• mods and rockers became folk devils: someone who is a bad person

Question 7

BRAITHWAITE - positive labelling

Answer 7

• disintegrative shaming: the crime AND the criminal are labelled as deviant
• reintegrative shaming: labels the crime and NOT THE CRIMINAL, as this would avoid secondary deviance