A person commits an act they know is criminal or deviant but no one else knows so no label is attached.
Secondary deviance:
The deviant act is witnessed and a label is attached to the person committing the act.
Cicourel
Labelling is what leads to selective law enforcement and negotiation of justice. When a group is labelled as deviant or criminal, then the police are likely to focus on that group and therefore reinforce the stereotype.
typifications of a typical criminal.
Who decides laws and acceptable
Ruling class
gov
law makers
Agencies of social control
Formal:
Police
CJS
Courts
Informal:
Peers
Society
Consequences of labelling
self fulfilling prophecy
Act as label given
Deviance amplification spiral
an attempt to control = more of that deviance - Cohen mods & rockers
Master status
An individual is identified as a particular aspect of themselves such as being a criminal and this impacts how they are treated within society with criminals. This can lead to a deviant or criminal career as their label prevents them from accessing legitimate means of achieving their social goals.
