LABELLING THEORIES OF CRIME Flashcards
Outline labelling theorists perspective on crime
They claim that no act is deviant in itself and deviance and criminal behaviour is a social construct. They claim that agencies of control who have large influence on societal views can label certain groups so they are perceived as criminal
What did cicourel argue
He argues that police use stereotypes of the typical delinquent. And individuals fitting this stereotype are more likely to be stopped arrested and charged.
Outline the social construction of official statistics
Working class people fit typifications so they are more likely to be arrested. Therefore, crime statistics simply reflect the stereotypes which the police act by. This produces a ‘dark figure’ which refers to the amount of crime which goes undetected, unreported and unrecorded - often as police do not suspect criminal activity if the criminal does not fit the typeification
What are primary and secondary deviance
Primary deviance is deviant acts that have not been publicly labelled, those who commit primary deviance often go uncaught and do not see themselves as deviant
Secondary deviance results from societal reaction. An offender becomes deviant due to the label attached whereby the deviance label becomes the offenders master status or controlling identity
Outline Young’s study of the self fulfilling prophecy
Young (1971) studied a group of hippies whereby marijuana was initially used by hippies as a harmless lifestyle choice (primary deviance). But police prosecuted them which made them look like junkies (societal reaction) which led to to retreat into closed groups whereby marijuana was at the centre of activity (self fufilling prophecy.
Outline the deviance amplification spiral
An attempt to control deviance leads to more and more deviance being commuted. Cohen’s study of mods and rockers uses the concept of the deviance amplification spiral. Media and exaggeration created a moral panic, which led to the moral entrepreneurs cracking down and arresting more people, this demonised the mods and rockers and marginalised them as they were ‘folk devils’ of society which resulted in more deviance.
