Labelling theory

• Becker

  Social groups create deviance by creating rules and applying them to particular people who they label as outsiders

  • an act/person only becomes deviant when labelled by others as deviant = deviance is a social construct
• Differential enforcement - Piliavin and Briar

  Found police decisions to arrest were based on stereotypical ideas

  • labelling theories argues social control agencies tend to label certain groups as criminal
• Typifications - Cicourel

  Argues police use typifications of the 'typical delinquent' where individuals who fit the stereotype are more likely to be stopped or arrested

  • w/c and ethnic minority juveniles = more likely to be arrested
  • m/c juveniles = less likely to fit typifications > have parents who can negotiate successfully on their behalf
• The social construction of crime stats

  • w/c people fit police typifications = police patrol w/c areas resulting in more w/c arrests > crime stats don't give valid picture of crime
  • Cicourel = we can't take crime stats at face value / use them as resources > should treat as a topic and investigate processes which they're constructed
• Dark figure of crime

  • Difference between official stats and the real of crime = we don't know real crime rates due to lots of crime going unreported and undetected
  • Some sociologists use victim surveys or self-report studies to gain more accurate view
• Positives of labelling theory

  • Challenges the idea that deviants are different to ‘normal people’
  • Shows importance of the reaction of others in defending and creating deviance
  • Shows how labelling can lead to a SFP prophecy and to deviant careers
• Criticisms of labelling theory

  • Doesn’t explain causes of deviant behaviour which precede the labelling process (primary deviance) or where stereotypes comes from
  • Moves blame for deviance away from the deviant and onto those who label others as deviance