interactionist theories of crime Flashcards
what is labelling theory?
States that no act by itself is criminal or deviant. An act only becomes criminal/deviant when it is labelled by society as such.
What is differential enforcement of the law?
This is where certain groups are more likely to be arrested for certain crimes due to labels and stereotypes that social agencies, namely the police, hold.
Who are Piliavin and Briar?
They are interactionists who argue the decision to arrest is made based upon the polices opinion on an individuals gender, class, ethnicity, manner, dress, time and place. For example, working-class young men are more likely to be arrested in high crime areas late at night when stopped.
What two types of deviance did Lemert identify?
Primary and secondary deviance
What did Lemert label to be primary deviance?
Lemert argued that primary deviance is any act that has not been publicly labelled. These acts are often trivial and go uncaught. Those who commit these acts, like not paying the fee to use public transport, do not usually consider themselves to be criminal.
What is secondary deviance?
Results from labelling. People may treat an offender solely in terms of their label, which becomes their master status or controlling identity. The individual is seen as, for example, a thief, rather than their other statuses, such as parent, churchgoer, work colleague etc.
What is the result of secondary deviance?
Individuals may be rejected from society and forced into the company of other criminals. This can amplify criminal subcultures.
Name an extreme example of the results from secondary deviance.
Prisons, these exclude offenders from society and place them with other criminals who confirm their deviant identities. As well as this, prisons provide criminals with criminal role models and allow them to be taught criminal skills.
what is a deviancy amplification spiral?
This is where an attempt to control deviance through a full crackdown leads to an increasing level of crime instead. This prompts even more attempts to control it which, in turn, creates further deviance, escalating the spiral.
What is an example of a deviancy amplification spiral?
Cohens study of the Mods and Rockers
What caused the deviancy spiral with relation to the mods and rockers?
media exaggeration, as this caused growing public concern.
What are moral entrepreneurs?
Those who called for a crackdown. However, police responded by arresting more youths, provoking more concern.
What were the mods and rockers labelled as and what did this cause?
Folk Devils, this marginalised them further and resulted in more deviance.
Whose study also looked at deviancy amplification spirals?
Jock Young’s study of Hippy cannabis users.
What lead to deviancy amplification in Young’s study?
An increase in police attention and labelling the hippies as drug addicts, as this created secondary deviance and self-fulfilling prophecies.
