Labelling theory explanation of crime LT4 Flashcards
Labelling theories view on crime and deviance
reject OCS and structural causal explanations
seeing crime as socailly constructed
What method do labelling theorist favour
in-depth qualitative approaches
Who talks about moral entrepreneurs ?
Becker
Becker
what we count as crime and deviance is based on subjective decisions made by ‘moral entrepreneurs’ (agents of social control)
Ethnomethodology
argue that “deviance is in the eye of the beholder”
what one person sees as deviant might not
Becker: selective labelling
The amount and distribution in society is shaped by selective law enforcement
deviant is labelled depending on who commuted the crime
powerless groups are more likely to be labelled
Becker: consequences of labelling
Extent of deviance is affected by labelling
deviance can be amplified by label
labelled gain a master status and become stigmatised
eventually self fulling prophecy occurs
What did Cicourel find ?
Found police ‘typification’ (stereotypes of what a typical criminal is like) concentrate on certain types - resulting in class bias
What is societies reaction to crime
media amplify crime as they demonise deviants creating moral panic
resulting in increased social control
How do labelling theorist believe crime should be reduced ?
argue that to reduce crime, it’s logical to enforce fewer laws for people to break
Avoid disintegrative shamming
act and criminal labelled to avoid exclusion from society
Reintegrative shaming
the act labelled but not the offender
crime lowers when this approach is taken
Young
hippies in Notting Hill labelled for their primary deviance
they saw themselves as outsiders
resulting in increase in police attention and self fulling prophecy
Triplett
found zero-tolerance approach in USA resulted increased offending
negative labelling leads to deviant
