Week 6: Labeling Theory

Question 1

What is labeling theory?

Answer 1

addresses the process by which some people come to be defined or labeled as deviant while others do not, also addresses the consequences of applying the label of deviant or criminal

Question 1

Who developed the concept of labeling theory?

Answer 1

Howard Becker in 1963

Question 2

What is a primary deviance?

Answer 2

the initial act of deviance committed by someone, most people commit criminal acts at some point in their lives

Question 3

What is stigma?

Answer 3

negative stereotypes attached to deviant (especially criminal) labels within the dominant culture, those to whom the label has been assigned are regarded as separate and different

Question 4

How does labeling affect education?

Answer 4

labeling limits access to and success in conventional life arenas such as education, if a school is aware of a young person’s involvement with the juvenile justice system, they are more likely to drop out or get kicked out and less likely to be successful in education

Question 5

What is a secondary deviance?

Answer 5

deviant behavior which is the outcome of a deviant identity, the person may develop a deviant self-concept

Question 6

What is the modified labeling theory?

Answer 6

highlights how societal labels can affect individuals’ self perception and behavior, causing impacts on employment, self-devaluation, withdrawal, etc., found that psychiatrist users engage in adaptive social strategies in the face of official intervention

Question 7

Sampson and Laub’s concept of cumulative disadvantage

Answer 7

official intervention can result in long-term criminal involvement by segregating labeled individuals from conventional others and opportunities

Question 8

What is the link between social class and labeling?

Answer 8

labels tend to stick to some people more than others, disadvantaged groups are more likely to be stigmatized

Question 9

How quality of representation effects labels

Answer 9

if you have the ability to get representation it will be easier to get away from the label

Question 10

What is a deferred sentencing plan?

Answer 10

when the judge gives you time to show that you can change and do better, if you fo they may not sentence

Question 11

What is the link between ethnicity/racialized identity and labeling?

Answer 11

Black, Asian, and other minorities are more likely to receive sentencing and therefore labels than white individuals

Question 12

What did the Lamy Review (2017) show in relation to minorities?

Answer 12

minorities more likely to plead not guilty in court, receive prison sentences for drug offenses, and be in prison in general

Question 13

What are the negative impacts of official intervention in criminal matters?

Answer 13

may create a new deviant self-concept, limit opportunities for legitimate pathways to success, limit interactions with others

Question 14

Rochester Youth Development Study

Answer 14

studied kids in the public school system, explored the longer terms consequences of official intervention, found that people who are arrested in teens are more likely to be arrested as adults and use drugs, people arrested as a young adult are less likely to be employed

Question 15

What are the effects of Intergenerational Labeling?

Answer 15

children of parents with an arrest history are more likely to be disadvantaged and less likely to resist the label of an offender, more likely to develop deviant issues

Question 16

Is there a rite of passage following the completion of a sentence?

Answer 16

No, we do not have one, no right of passage to undo the label once their sentence is complete