labelling

• interactionist theory


  argue that people do not become criminals because of their social background, but rather argue that crime emerges because of labelling by authorities
• see crime as the product of micro-level interactions between certain individuals and the police, rather than the result of external social forces such as socialisation or blocked opportunity structures
• crime is socially constructed

  an act which harms an individual or society else only becomes criminal if those in power label that act as criminal
• not everyone who is deviant gets labelled as such


  negative labels are generally (deviant/ criminal) are generally given to the powerless by the powerful
• labelling consequences

  it can lead to deviancy amplification, the self-fulfilling prophecy and deviant careers.
•  labelling theory has a clear 'value position'


  it should aim to promote policies that prevent labelling minor acts as deviant
• interactionists - argue that there is no such thing as an inherently deviant act 


  certain acts only become deviant in certain situations when others label them as deviant. Deviance is not a result of an act or an individual being ‘uniquely different'

  • deviance is a product of society's reaction to actions
• becker - illustrates how crime is the product of social interactions through the example of a fight between young people

  • low-income neighbourhood - a fight is more likely to be defined by the police as evidence of delinquency
  • wealthy area - as evidence of high spirits

  same acts but those who have the power to make the label stick = creating deviants or criminals
• deviance is not a quality that lies in behaviour itself, but in the interaction between the person who commits an act and those who respond to it
• deviance is produced by a process of interaction between the potential deviant and the wider public (both ordinary people and agencies of social control)
• not everyone who gets deviant gets labelled


  those in power are just as deviant as actual criminals but they are more able to negotiate themselves out of being labelled as criminal
•  whether a person is arrested, charged and convicted depends on factors such as:

  1. Their interactions with agencies of social control such as the police and the courts
  2. Their appearance, background and personal biography
  3. The situation and circumstances of the offence.

  leads labelling theorists to look at how laws are applied and enforced
• cicourel

  argues that it is the meanings held by police officers and juvenile officers that explain why most delinquents come from w/c backgrounds
• cicourel - first stage

  decision by the police to stop and interrogate an individual is based on meanings held by the police of what is ‘strange’, ‘unusual’ and ‘wrong’

  decision to stop and interrogate based on:

  1. location of behaviour
  2. how the police perceive the individual

  deeming behaviour as suspicious depends on:

  1. location of behaviour

  If a young person has a demeanour like that of a ‘typical delinquent’ then the police are more likely to both interrogate and arrest that person
• cicourel - second stage

  young person is handed over to a juvenile delinquent officer who will have a picture of a ‘typical delinquent’ in his mind.

  • factors of a typical delinquent - disheveled appearance, poor posture, speaking in slang
• cicourel - second stage 2


  had to split it up

  arrested m/c delinquents - less likely to be charged with the offence as they do not fit the picture of a ‘typical delinquent

  • their parents also help to present them as respectable to assure the officer that their child is truly remorseful.

  results in the m/c delinquent more likely to be defined as ill rather than criminal, as having accidentally strayed from the path of righteousness just the once and having a real chance of reforming.
• consequences of labelling - primary deviance


  primary - the initial stage in defining deviant behaviour

  • an initial rule-breaking act performed by someone who is otherwise socially compliant
  • The people who commit primary deviance often amend their behaviors and respond to social pressure
  • Regardless of whether this deviant behavior is noticed by others, no label is attached
• consequences of labelling - secondary deviance

  deviant behaviour that occurs after the initial act, when a person’s self-concept and behavior begin to change as a result of society’s negative reactions and labeling of them as criminally deviant

  It is the process by which deviance is amplified and reinforced by outsiders treating the supposed deviant as an outsider
• interactionists assume that crime and deviance is predictable within the structure of society

  • they are too formulaic in their approach
• interactionists - statistics only reflect the stereotypes and biases of social control agencies and shouldn’t be trusted
• beckers labelling theory


  focuses on the way that some actions are seen as deviant whilst others are not
• beckers labelling theory


  argues that actions only become deviant when they are labelled by someone with the power to enforce rules and impose their definitions of deviance onto people
• beckers labelling theory


  deviant labels stick on people depending on how society reacts to the individual
• deviance is a consequence of the application by others of the rules, rather than the quality of the committed act
• labelling theory focuses on:

  1. interaction between deviants and the ones who label them
  2. selective law - police (stop and search)
  3. consequences of being labelled as deviant
• goffman- institutions and labelling 


  argues that once someone is put into an institution, the final stage of labelling is complete and the individual takes on the label as a status
• goffman- institutions and labelling 


  once in an institution, individuals become institutionalised and individual identities go through a process of mortification - leaving behind only the characteristics of the label and they die out
• X does a label always stick? - deterministic
• X assumes the label is more important that the action
• X ignores structural causes of deviance - focuses only on individual