Theories of Crime - 4.1 (Interactionism) Flashcards
General Interactionist view on Deviance as SC
> No act is deviant, but labelling makes it so, so is a SC.
Crime as Social Construct Key Sociologists
> Becker (Crime as Social Construct & ME)
> Platt (Moral Entrepeneurs)
> Briar (Diff Enforcement)
> Circourel (Typfications, NOJ, Crime Stats)
Becker (Crime as Social Construct)
> Groups create deviance through rules, applying them to ppl they see as outsiders.
> Ppl only become deviant when labelled as so.
Moral Entrepreneurs
> Ppl deciding what’s morally acceptable in society e.g. gov & parents.
> Begin mission 4 new laws created/policed in belief it’ll aid in particular vulnerable groups in society.
Platt (Moral Entrepeneurs)
> Juvenile delinquents, campaign by UC victorian ME, wanting to protect young people.
> Made juve courts & extended powers to status offences e.g. truancy.
Becker (ME)
> US Bureau of Narcotics, campaigned for Marijuana Tax Act, to protect young people
> But really to expand influence - not harmfulness of act = new law, but efforts of powerful individuals.
Briar view on Differential Enforcement
> Social Control Agencies label certain groups as criminal
> Decisions to arrest based on CAGE e.g. ASBO’s commonly given to BAME.
Circourel (Typfications)
> Police see WC as typical delinquent individuals, + police areas = + arrests, confirms stereotype.
> Saw youth delinquency, due to LPF & poverty, stigmatise WC
> So unlikely to give non-custodial sentences to them.
Marxist Criticisms of Cicourel - Typifications
Fails to locate origins of labels in unequal capitalist society.
Cicourel NOJ Diff vs WC & MC kids)
> MC, parents negotiate kid out of justice, convincing them it’s 1 off won’t occur again - let them go
> But WC don’t this feel offender deserves to be punished.
Cicourel (Crime Stats as Topic Not Resource)
> Crime stats invalid, shouldn’t be taken @ face value.
> SC, don’t tell us about DF of crime, VS & SRS should be used instead - limitations of alt
Effects of Labelling (KS)
> Lemert (PD/SD)
> Young (Hippy Marijuana Users)
> Cohen (Deviancy Amp, Mods & Rockers)
> Triplett (Labelling & CJS Policy)
> Braithwaite (Reintegrative Shaming)
PD (Lemert) (1)
> No public labelling, unnoticed/meaningless ‘’moment of madness’’
> Don’t self identify as deviant.
SD (Lemert) (1)
Results from societal reaction, caught & labelled as criminal
> = excluded from normal society. e.g. as thief, junkie, pedo
Master Status (Lemert) (3)
> Society view offender only in terms of label, so now MS & becomes SFP.
Deviant Career (Lemert) 4)
> = + hostile reactions from society, can’t make amends e.g. lack of employment.
> Now outsider, confirm deviant identity, joining deviant subculture for status
Deviancy Amplification
> Media exaggerates deviance of control 2 control them = + deviance = escalating spiral.
Folk Devils
Scapegoat, media sees as outsiders, blamed for social problems, subject of MP
Young (Hippy Marijuana Users)
> Drugs small part of hippies lifestyle, policies persecution of them as junkies.
> Develop deviant subcultures, w/ drug use as central activity
> Actions of police = + crime - DAS
Cohen (DAS & Mods & Rockers)
> Media exaggeration = MP w/ + public concern.
> ME called for crackdown, police arrested + youth, = + concern.
> Seeing M&R as FD, marginalised them further, = + deviance.
Labelling & CJS Policy - Triplett
> Tendency to see young ppl as evil & - tolerant of minor deviance, = +deviance
> So logical to have fewer rules e.g. decriminalising soft drugs
>
- NO w/ convictions & end shame culture.
Braithwaite (Disintegrative Shaming)
Crime & D shamed & excluded from society
Braithwaite (Reintegrative Shaming)
> Label act not actor, opportunity for person to be forgiven, stops labelling so no SFP.
> e.g. Rehabilitation & Restorative Justice
Criticisms of Braithwaite
Focus on how to rehabilitate offenders, not why they offend in 1st place.
Strength of Labelling Theory
Link to Education
A03 Criticisms of Labelling Theory (KS)
> Downes & Rock (Determinism)
> Marxism (Power Structures)
Downes & Rock (Determinism)
Don’t know someone who’s been labelled will follow deviant career, can chose to not deviate more.
General Criticisms of Labelling Theory
> Why do ppl do PD in 1st place, some actively chose deviance w/out labelling.
> Deviant becomes V & ignores real V.
General Interactionist view on Mental Health & Suicide
> Stop relying on OS for suicide, need to study meanings of those doing it
> Just recording acts of doctors w/ power to attach labels e.g. depression
Mental Health & Suicide (KS)
> Douglas (Meaning of Suicide)
> Atkinson (Coroners Commonsense Knowledge)
> Lemert (Paranoia as SFP)
> Goffman (Intuitionalism)
> Braginski (Example of Intuitionalism)
Douglas (Meaning of Suicide)
> Rejects OS, as they’re SC, only tells about label applied by coroners/opinions of friends & family.
> Suicide notes, diaries, letters & interviews better 4 true meanings.
> But no reason to feel sociologist interpretation, will be truer > coroner?
Atkinson (Coroners Commonsense Knowledge)
> OS based on coroners w/ taken 4 granted assumptions,
> W/ ideas on typical suicide affecting verdict e.g. types of death & location = SFP
Criticisms of Atkinson
> If all we have are interpretations & not facts about social world.
> His theory itself is a interpretation & no good reason to accept it.
Lemert - Paranoia as SFP
> Ppl may not fit into groups, due to PD x begins to be excluded
> X’s -ve response = SD, others are concerned w/mental health
> = medical label of paranoia & label mental patient becomes MS.
Example of Total Institution
Psychiatric Hospital
Goffman (Intuitionalism & Effects of Admittance to Total Institution)
> @ Admission Patient undergo mortification of self & prior identities killed off.
> Replaced w/ identity of inmate, w/ degradation rituals e.g. confiscation of personal possessions.
> Some become institutionalised, & can’t adjust 2 outside wrld, others develop resistance e.g. Bragnski
Braginski (Example of Intuitionalism)
> Inmates manipulated symptoms to look not well enough 4 discharge
> but not sick enough 2 be confined 2 ward, so can get free movement in hospital
