Labelling Theory Flashcards
Labelling Theorists Approach to Crime
Want to understand how or why some people and actions come to be labelled as deviant and what effects this has on person.
What does Howard Becker define deviance?
Becker claims that deviance is in the eye of the beholder. An act of deviance is only considered deviant because of label it as such.
Moral entrepreneurs
Person or group that seek to change the law
Effects of adding new laws
- New group of ‘outsiders’ created that break the law
2. Expansion of social control agencies (police, courts) to enforce rule and put labels on offenders.
Factors that determine whether a person is arrested charged or convicted.
Piliavin and Briar
- time and place
- Interactions with social control agency, character of suspect
- Appearance, background
- Situation and circumstance of offence
Negotiation of Justice??
Concept by cicourel explaining officers decision to arrest an individual based on stereotypes/typifications produced by officers= class bias.
When M/C youth arrested let off with a warning, not charged because did not suit officers delinquent image
When W/C youths arrested, they are charged because they suit delinquent image.
Official Statistics as a way to collect data?
Socially constructed as a mechanism to allow police officers to continue negotiating justice. Outcome of an arrest solely depends on police officers judgement and each stage is recorded.
Do not show real rate of crime/ amount of crime that is undetected.
Better way to collect data?
Victim surveys or self-report studies provide more accurate view of amount of crime.
What is primary deviance and who created this concept?
What: Deviant acts that have not been publically labelled and mostly go uncaught ie drinking underage
Who: Lemert
What is secondary deviance and who created concept?
What: Deviant act that is caused by labelling and marginalisation of person shaping their “master status” in society leading to self-crisis and self-fulfiling prophecy causing a person to become what society has labelled him causing them to shape into a deviant career.
Who: Lemert
Master Status
status gained from secondary deviance that overrides another status’ ie no longer seen as a colleague or friend, just labelled a criminal
Deviant subcultures
who: Young
What: Hippy marijuana users, first seen as primary deviance in group however society and social control agencies labelled the use of marijuana negatively causing them to feel marginalised. They then formed deviant subcultures, where drug use became a central activity causing them to fulfil label.
Deviance amplification Spiral
More deviant acts will take place when there is more attraction to labelling activity as deviant as a method to control it. media influence creates a moral panic.
Disintegrative shaming
Both crime and criminal negatively labelled causing exclusion
Reintegrative Shaming
Crime negatively labelled but person isn’t. Method to make person more aware of their actions encouraging others to forgive them. Reintegrative shaming proven to reduce crime rates.
