*Labelling Theory Flashcards
What is labelling according to Becker?
Deviancy is a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions for an ‘offender’
Becker emphasizes that deviant behavior is defined by societal reaction rather than the act itself.
How do police officers operate according to sociologists like Townsley and Marshall?
They operate using stereotypical assumptions or labels about what is ‘suspicious’ or ‘criminal’
This includes biases based on social types and behavior.
What evidence does Holdaway provide regarding police racial stereotyping?
Racial stereotyping by some police officers may govern their decision to stop black people
This includes a particular focus on African-Caribbeans as being seen as potentially criminal.
What do Home Office statistics reveal about police stop and search practices?
Black people are stopped and searched 6x more and Asians 2x more than white people
These statistics support the idea of racial stereotyping in policing.
What other groups may be stereotyped by police beyond ethnicity?
Young people, males, and working-class individuals
These groups may fit a criminal stereotype and attract more police attention.
What did Cicourel find regarding agents of social control?
Other agents reinforce bias by holding common sense theories about delinquency
This includes beliefs that delinquency arises from broken homes and poverty.
What conclusion does Cicourel draw about justice?
Justice is often negotiable rather than fixed
This is illustrated by middle-class youths receiving different treatment than working-class youths.
What is primary deviance?
Deviant acts that haven’t been publicly labelled
Often trivial and not significant to a person’s identity.
What is secondary deviance?
Deviance that is spotted and punished by those with more power
This results in societal reaction and subsequent labelling.
What negative effects can a negative label have on an individual?
It may undermine self-esteem and become a ‘master status’
Powerful labels like ‘criminal’ can overshadow other aspects of a person’s identity.
What can secondary deviance provoke from society?
Further hostile reactions and reinforce the deviant’s outsider status
This can lead to prejudice and discrimination, impacting opportunities like employment.
What is the danger of prejudice leading to a ‘deviant career’?
It may create a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ where individuals see themselves as deviant
This can cause them to act in accordance with the label.
What are subcultures in relation to deviance?
Groups with distinct value systems and rules that may conflict with mainstream society
They may commit further crimes and attract negative reactions.
What is deviance amplification?
Official attempts to control deviance lead to an increase in its level
This creates a snowball effect where more control results in more deviance.
How can labelling theory help reduce crime?
By making and enforcing fewer rules
Decriminalizing certain behaviors may reduce the number of criminal convictions.
What are the two types of shaming in the criminal justice system according to Braithwaite?
- Disintegrative shaming
- Re-integrative shaming
What characterizes disintegrative shaming?
The deviant or criminal is labelled as bad and excluded from society
This results in the individual’s previous life and status disintegrating.
What is re-integrative shaming?
Labelling the act of deviance rather than the person
It focuses on the action rather than the individual.
What are the positives of labelling theory?
- Defines deviance as complex and socially constructed
- Shows definitions of deviance are relative
- Illustrates power differences in definitions
- Highlights selective law enforcement
- Shows attempts to control deviance can backfire
What are the negatives of labelling theory?
- Fails to explain the origin of power
- Tends to be deterministic
- Over-romanticizes deviance
- Ignores real victims of crime
- Fails to explain the origin of deviance
