labelling theory Flashcards
labelling theory - the social construction of crime AO1- Becker
no act is inherently criminal it only becomes deviant when its labelled.
labelling theory - the social construction of crime AO1 - who gets labelled
whether a person is arrested depends on: appearance, situation and interactions
labelling theory - the social construction of crime AO2 - who gets labelled , Piliavin and Briar
police decsions to arrest a youth were based on physical cues such as gender, class and ethnicity
labelling theory - the social construction of crime - AO1, Cicourel
officers decisions to arrest are based on their stereotypes
their typifications (stereotypes of typical delinquent) lead them to concentrate on certain types = police patrol WC areas more
agents of social control reinforce this bias
Justice is not fixed but negotiable e.g MC male less likely to be charged because parents can negotiate and doesn’t fit stereotype
labelling theory - AO3 official statistics
they don’t give us a valid picture as they’re based on stereotypes
we shouldn’t take them at face value but should use them to investigate the processes that created them
dark figure of crime - between official statistics and real rate of crime
statistics show activity of police not the amount of crime.
effects of labelling -Lemert - primary deviance Ao1
deviant acts that have not been publicly labelled
pointless to try and understanding the cause as its widespread and trivial
don’t make a habit of it
‘moment of madness’
effects of labelling -Lemert -secondary deviance AO1
result of a societal reaction
stigmatised and excluded from society
once they’re labelled, others can only see them in terms of their label - then becomes their master status
creates a self-fulfilling prophecy
leads to a deviant careers
and turn to other outsiders for support when they’re shunned by family = a deviant subculture
effects of labelling -Lemert - primary&secondary deviance AO2
Young - hippy marijuana users
initially, drugs weren’t an important part of their lives - didn’t define their identity, done in private
once the police persecuted and labelled the hippies they increasingly saw themselves as outsiders
its not the act but the hostile societal recation to it
effects of labelling - Lemert - primary&secondary deviance AO3
deterministic - we do have free will - its not inevitable we don’t have to adopt a deviant career
its not the act itself but the hostile societal reaction that creates deviance
effects of labelling - deviance amplification Ao1
term used to describe a process in which the attempt to control deviance leads to an increase in it
6 stages of deviance amplification:
1. press exaggeration and distorted reporting
2. moral panic: and so moral entrepreneurs wanting a ‘crack down’
3. police arresting more
4. reinforces the medias reaction and provokes more concern
5. demonising the group as ‘folk devils’ and marginalising them as outsiders
6. internalised label and resulting in more deviant behaviour
effects of labelling - deviance amplification - 6 stages of deviance amplification
- press exaggeration and distorted reporting
- moral panic: and so moral entrepreneurs wanting a ‘crack down’
- police arresting more
- reinforces the medias reaction and provokes more concern
- demonising the group as ‘folk devils’ and marginalising them as outsiders
- internalised label and resulting in more deviant behaviour
effects of labelling - deviance amplification AO3 - limitation - func
functionalists disagree and say deviance leads to social control, not social control leads to deviance.
effects of labelling - deviance amplification AO3 - limitation - victim
the deviant becomes the victim and so is not to blame for behaviour
effects of labelling - labelling and criminal justice policy AO1
increases in the attempt to control and punish young offenders can have the opposite effect
labelling results in an increased stigmatisation of young offenders, which results in an increase in deviance
negative labelling pushes offenders to a deviant career
We should avoid publicly naming and shaming offenders as this creates a perception of them as evil outsiders and push them into further deviance.
effects of labelling - labelling and criminal justice policy AO2
in the USA, theres an increasing tendency to see young offenders as evil and to be less tolerant of minor deviance.
