Interactionist Perspective of Crime Flashcards
What is the interactionist overall perspective of crime?
(Labelling Theory)
Interested in how people interpret and socially construct the world around them. Phenomenologists would argue people create society and therefore crime. Interested in looking at how criminality develops through social interactions.
Howard Becker: Outsiders
Suggested 3 key areas of deviance:
Social construction and relativity of deviance
Deviance and social control
Interpretation of deviance
Suggests in order for an act to become deviant, it has to obtain a reaction from others. It depends upon who commits it, who sees it and what action is taken about it.
What do these 3 key areas of deviance mean?
Social Construction & Relativity of deviance:
No act in itself is deviant, relative to the norms and values and is culturally determined
Must be a social construction
Deviance & Social Control:
Labelled as deviant by agents of social control, labelling by influences of societal reaction
Interpretation of deviance:
Suggests that individuals are deviant because they are labelled as deviant by agents of social control. Deviance is not an act, the reaction to a label is attached to the person defined as deviant
Becker argues that the social construction of deviance requires what 2 actions?
A group, which lacks power and acts in a particular way
Another group with more power- defining and labelling their action as deviant.
Case study: Becker applying Malinowksis study of incest:
Incest was widespread, 15 year old boy accused of having sex with younger sister on a beach. Only rule broken was indiscreet behaviour, rather than the action itself. Not the act that was significant but the social rejection of the act.
Becker: Moral Entrepreneurs:
Moral entrepreneurs play a key role in society, these can be in the form of groups or individuals. Part of the group with the most power (bourgeoisie) and play a key role in defining acts.
Becker: Master status & Crime
A master status= a status which is more prominent than all others
If an individual is labelled as deviant, they share this status and cannot escape it- recidivism
Charles Cooley: ‘The Looking Glass Shelf’
Process by which we develop our sense of self. Sense of self is influenced by how we imagine others see us, socially constructed and shaped by the people around us. If people perceive us as deviant, this becomes our sense of self.
Frank Tannenbaum: Labelling and the Dramatisation of Evil
Called the process of attaching a label to deviants as ‘the dramatisation of evil’ The process of making the criminal involves tagging, defining and identifying the criminal as deviant. This results in the person becoming the very thing they are described as being (self-fulfilling prophecy)
What does Tannenbaum mean by tagging, defining and identifying?
Tagging: Act carried out by an individual results in a deviant tag
Defining: Individual becomes defined by the ‘deviant’ tag and the reaction of society
Identifying: Person identifies with the initial tag allocated by society and a self-fulfilling prophecy takes place.
Edwin Lemert: Primary & Secondary Deviance:
Primary: describes insignificant deviant acts, which have not been publicly labelled. These acts have little significance for a person’s status or identity, as a result, primary deviants do not see themselves as deviant.
E.g- littering
Secondary: considered more serious. Describes more serious acts and are typical of more frequent offending, after they have been caught and labelled as a deviant.
E.g- Murder
What is Lemert’s 8 stages of reaching secondary deviance?
suggests the move from primary and secondary deviance involves a number of stages. Not all those who commit primary deviance will reach the stage of secondary deviance.
1.Primary Deviance 2. Social Penalties 3. Further primary deviance 4. Stronger penalties 5. Further deviation with hostility 6. Formal action by community 7. Strengthening of deviant conduct 8. Ultimate acceptance of the deviant social status (secondary deviance takes place.
John Braithwaite: Shaming Theory:
Two forms of shaming: disintegrative and reintegrative
Disintegrative ( Traditional approach): Current approach to crime and deviance, labelled as permanent ‘deviant’ leads to recidivism.
Reintegrative: Bringing the deviant back into ‘normal’ society, a good person committed a bad act- reinforces bonds.
suggests that the shaming of offenders makes matters worse (strengthens the criminal label) and increases crime. The person is labelled as a permanent ‘deviant’ and has little choice but to associate with similarly stigmatised people.
Braithwaite: Influence on Contemporary Criminal Justice Policy:
His theory has been extremely influential in contemporary approaches to criminal justice. It has provided the foundation for restorative justice, Wales has been one of the first counties of the UK to trial these programmes.
Leslie K. Wilkins: Deviancy Amplification:
Media makes crime worse;
Initial deviant act
Media sensationalism (exaggeration)
Public reaction (moral panic)
Increased control measures
Group becomes stigmatised (seen as negative)
Escalation of deviance
CYCLE
Stanley Cohen: Application of deviancy amplification with ‘folk devils and moral panics’
Applied L.wilkins theory
As a result of deviancy amplification, an act or the behaviour of a group of people may become defined as ‘criminal’ as a result of public reaction to media headlines. Wilkins suggests that this is a cycle, with the media continually amplifying different acts of deviance.
Aaron Cicourel: Typifications and the ‘negotiation of justice’
Typifications: Found relationship between labelling, social class and ethnicity. The CJS relies on socially constructed stereotypical values of the criminal- young, working-class black. Delinquency produced by agents of socialisation selecting, processing and labelling groups as deviant.
Negotiation of justice: Found delinquency rates similar in mc/wc areas. Mc less likely to be charged with offences than Wc= their parents are able to use connections to influence.
Mc delinquency seen as ‘youthful high spirits’ they have a bright future ahead of them.
Seen as a lack of judgement rather than criminal.
