Labelling theory Flashcards
What’s labelling according to Becker?
deviancy not quality of act person commits, rather consequence of application.
How does Townsley and Marshall’s study show police labelling?
police operate using stereotypical assumptions about what’s suspicious, social types and behaviour.
Give Home office stats on police stop and search that supports that racial stereotyping underpins policing.
Police stop and search black pp X6 and Asian pp X2 more than white pp.
Describe Cicourel’s study that shows bias is negotiable.
middle-class youth arrested, less likely charged- background doesn’t fit police stereotype, parents negotiate.
More able than working-class to convince police that they’d monitor child.
Define primary deviance
deviant acts haven’t been publicly labelled (person committing act hasn’t been caught).
Define secondary deviance
punished by pp have more power than person committing act.
Societal reaction/ labelling person as criminal.
What does Becker and Lemert say is an impact on secondary deviance?
individual shunned from society.
Negative affects of secondary deviance.
Undermine self-esteem.
Negative label- master status (interpret future behaviour).
Increase re-offending by isolating individual from society- comfort delinquent subcultures.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Define deviancy amplification
Controlling crime leads to increased crime.
Example of deviancy amplification
Triplett- increase tendency see young offenders as evil.
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders- increased crime.
How can labelling theory reduce crime?
Fewer rules, less negative societal reaction, less re-offending.
According to Braithwaite, what are the 2 types of shaming available to the CJS?
Disintegrative shaming- deviant labelled bad, excluded from society.
Re-integrative shaming- should be adopted by CJS. Labelling act of deviance than person carrying it out (did a bad thing, not bad person).
Positives of labelling theory.
Shows defining deviance as complex than simple- socially constructed.
Deviance definitions construct (power differences).
Shows law enforced selectively.
Society controlling deviance backfire create more deviance.
Draw attention social consequences of deviant label.
