Labelling and crime

Labelling theory - Becker

• social construction of crime

• moral entrepeneurs

• deviant career

social construction of crime - becker

society's reactions make an act deviant.

moral entrepreneurs - becker

a person/group/organisation that attempts to influence society to adopt/maintain a social norm that aligns with their moral beliefs.

deviant career - becker

1.moral entrepreneurs create label. 2. deviant act committed 3. society's reactions 4/5. SFP and internalisatin 6/7. punishment, label of criminal 8. master status (deviance is core element of the persons identity)

ethnomethodology - cicourel

• typifications based on social class

• negotiation of justice

typification of social class - cicourel

leads police to patrol certain areas more intensively, resulting in more arrests & confirming their stereotypes

negotiation of justice - cicourel

middle class are able to negotiate with the justice system and are LESS likely to be charged due to access to lawyers. they're part of m/c, in and out bias assumes m/c are able to control deviant behaviours.

amplification of deviance - young

• internalisation of the deviant label

• amplification spiral

• fantasy crime

internalisation of the deviant label - young

marijuana study in 1960s

• group of hippies being targeted, widened the gap between them and society

• drugs used to be an exterior activity but became a symbol of hippies' defence against police, becoming interior/their status.

amplification spiral - young

the process of causing an increase in deviant behaviour/

fantasy crime - young

more control causes more crime, the police, media and politicians unwillingly created this.

social construction of deviance - plummer

argues there's 2 types of deviance:

• situational deviance

• societal deviance

situational deviance - plummer

• smoking

• nudity

• sexual promiscuity

• taking drugs

societal deviance - plummer

• murder

• child abuse

• drunk driving

social policy - braithwaite

• disintegrative shaming (offenders)

• reintegrative shaming (offenders)

disintegrative shaming - braithwaite

where the act and person are both labelled - crime and criminal

reintegrative shaming - braithwaite

where only the act is labelled as a crime, not the person

why is disintegrative shaming bad?

likely to lead to a sfp as the crime is associated with the person so the person is also attacked.

social construction if deviance - lemert

• primary deviance

• secondary deviance

primary deviance - lemert

deviance isn't publicly labelled, so they aren't deviant. i.e pinching stuff from work.

secondary deviance - lemert

deviance is a result of societal reactions (labelling). could lead to sfp.