Interactionalist view - Crime and Deviance

What three key aspects of crime does the interactionalist approach focus on?

1. How some people get labelled a criminal and the impact that this can have on them.

2. How the media can actually create and amplify the level of deviance.

3. How the media distorts our view of crime and increases our fear.

What is labelling theory?

It is the process in which members of society with an authoritative role can influence how individuals view themselves by placing labels on them. After continuous reinforcement, the individual comes to believe their given label, and lives up to its expectations. This label then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What did Howard Becker (1974) contribute to Labelling theory?

He stated there are no acts which are solely deviant but they become so once individuals define that act as deviant in those circumstances. He illustrated once an individual is labelled a criminal this becomes a master status that is particularly challenging to remove. Once labelled, a person's self perception may change and they may begin to act in a way, which reflects the nature of the label i.e. self-fulfilling prophecy. This may push them into a deviant career.

What did David Matza (1964) claim about deviancy?

He claims that everyone carries subterranean values that most of us keep subdued, how we are all have the capability of acting in a deviant manner - these basic instincts often occur when we are drunk, etc. Matza sated that the fact that people often show remorse for their actions later in life supports this view. Delinquents convince themselves they are not breaking the law, and this allows them to commit crime whilst still accepting society's norms and values.

What did Steve Box (1981) comment on collective groups labelling individuals?

He was on jury service looking at a case of a woman who was accused of stealing a small amount of money, after the jury found her guilty, they began to contemplate how they could 'fiddle' their travelling expenses. They actually planned to 'fiddle' more money than the woman had stolen who they had just found guilty. The difference is criminals are the ones who get caught.

How does Becker mention that the process of labelling is open to negotiation?

Certain individuals or groups are able to avoid or reject the label. People from higher socio-economic backgrounds can talk themselves out of trouble by using their negotiation skills (cultural capital).

What does Becker comment on the link between laws and deviance?

Just like an individual being labelled. Becker argues that certain acts are labelled as deviant; i.e. laws are socially constructed. The process of law creation is complex, however, influential groups can persuade governments to outlaw activities that they either dislike or see as a threat. Becker refers to these people as 'moral entrepreneurs'. A classic example was the way in which the Temperance Movement in the USA persuade the government to introduce the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s.

What does John Braithwaite (1989) comment on the judicial service of 'naming and shaming' criminals?

He states that shaming is a crucial issue, as this leads to social exclusion, which leads to social exclusion, which influences offenders to join a criminal subculture and reoffend. He believes that a productive approach is to try and avoid custodial sentences and try to reintegrate offenders into the community to avoid making their label stick.

What is the theory of Deviancy Amplification created by Leslie Wilkins (1964)?

It is show how sometimes the reaction of certain institutions such as the police and media can trigger an increase in deviance. He believed that when acts are labelled as deviant, the deviants become stigmatised and isolated from mainstream society. They then become aware of the attitudes and views towards them and due to this, they form their own subculture.

Who used the concept of Deviancy Amplification when studying drug use in North London?

He argued that the police action and subsequent public response made the situation much worse. Through:

- The Media highlights the issue that creates a moral panic and increases public concern.

- Police target drug users.

- Drug use goes 'underground'.

- Criminal subculture is created.

- Drug use seen as more of a problem.

Name some other activities that have been 'criminalised' and amplified by the police:

- Sex work and prostitution.

- Rave and Gov crackdown during the 1990s.

- Gay activity before legalisation.

- Alcohol prohibition during 1920s.

What is the idea of Moral Panics, as introduced by Stan Cohen (1972)?

- It is a concept closely connected to deviancy amplification. It was first introduced in Britain in Stan Cohen (1972) in a study of two youth subcultures in the 1960s - 'mods' and 'rockers'.

- Cohen illustrated how the media for the lack of other stories, built up these two groups into folk devils i.e. groups who were seen as troublemakers. The impact of the media coverage was to make young individuals categorise themselves, as either mods or rockers and actually helped to create the violence which took place between them, which also confirmed them as troublemakers in the eyes of the public.

Name examples of moral panics in recent years?

- Inner city knife crime

- Child abduction

- Killer clown threats

- Small boats landings

What are the consequences of moral panics?

- They can be numerous, such as deviancy amplification, the criminalisation of social groups and an increase in the fear of crime.

- Moral panics can often play into the hands of politicians and the ruling classes according to Marxist sociologists.

What is an evaluation for the Interactionist perspective on crime?

- This view is effective at explaining why people may perceive themselves and others as criminals due to the labelling within society, however, it does not explain why people commit crime in the first place.

What has the interactionalist perspective brought attention to?

It has drawn our attention to the important role that the media plays in the creation of criminals and laws. The emphasis on the negative effects of labelling gives the offender a victim status, thus ignoring the real victims of crime.

How practical is the interactional perspective?

- McRobbie and Thornton (1995) argue the concept of 'moral panics' has become outdated, as audiences and social media have become more sophisticated. There have been so many moral panics recently that they are no longer rare or particularly noteworthy.

- The perspective is too theoretical and doesn't provide enough working solutions on how to prevent crime.

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