Lecture Notes: Social Reaction and Critical Models of Crime

What is Labelling theory also known as?

It is also known as social reaction theory.

What is the labelling theory?

Primarily concerns how personal entities of individuals are highly influenced by the way that society or authorities tend categorize or label them as offenders. as a result, how an offender becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What does the labelling theory assume?

This theory assumes that there is a tendency to label lower class individuals or minorities negatively as offenders significantly more often than middle- or upper-class White people.

What is the hands-off policy?

Refers to the claim that recidivism can be reduced by limiting stigmatization by authorities and society.

What are the 3 Ds?

1. Diversion

2. Decriminalization

3. Deinstitutionalization

What was the primary goal of the labelling theory?

Attempted to get first-time offenders out of the formal justice system as early as possible to avoid labelling them as offenders.

Who proposed the labelling theory?

George Mead and Charles Cooley.

What did George Mead and Charles Cooley focus on?

This work emphasizes the importance of the extreme ways individuals are influenced by the social reaction to their roles and behaviour. Mead noted that a person's sense of self is constantly constructed and reconstructed through the various social interactions and that the person is constantly aware of how they are judged by others through those interactions.

How can labelling lead to isolation?

Certain individuals can be labelled by authorities or society and then hated by mainstream groups, which can lead to isolation and results in a person having only other bad persons to hang out with.

This creates a feedback system in which the person begins associating with others who will increase their propensity for illegal activity.

What is the role of demographic factors in labelling the offender?

Many strain theorists claim that certain demographic factors may make it possible that the offender will be caught and labelled by authorities. So, social reaction and labelling theory delas with the disproportionate rate of labelling members of the lower class and minorities as offenders.

What is dramatization of evil?

A concept proposed by Frank Tannenbaum in relation to labelling theory. States that often when relatively minor laws are broken, the community tends to overreact and make a rather large deal out of it.

What is primary deviance?

A concept in labelling theory originally presented by Edwin Lemert.

The type of minor, infrequent offending people commit before they are caught or labelled as offenders.

What is secondary deviance?

A concept in labelling theory originally presented by Edwin Lemert. It is the type of more serious, frequent offending people commit after they get caught and are labelled offenders. Individuals commit this type of offending because they have internalized their status as offenders.

What are Marxist theories of crime?

People from the lower classes are arrested and charged with crimes at a disproportionate rate. Emphasize the effects of a capitalistic society on the way justice is administered. They describe how society is divided by money and power.

What is Bourgeoisie?

A class or status that Karl Marx assigned to the dominant, oppressing owners of production who are considered the elite class due to ownership of companies, factories, and so on.

What is Proletariat?

The oppressed group of workers exploited by the bourgeoisie, an elite class that owns the means of production. Will never truly profit from their efforts because the upper class owns and controls the means of production.

What did Williem Bonger emphasize?

Emphasized the relationship between economy and crime.

What did Willem Bonger argue?

Argued that contemporary economic structure, particularly capitalism, was the cause of crime as it promoted a system based on selfishness and greed, which manifests itself in competition among individuals.

What are the 3 factors that lead to criminal behaviour?

1. Isolation

2. Individualism

3. Egoistic tendencies

What are Neo-Marxist theories?

Referred to as a critical theories, because the renewed interest in Marxist theory coupled with harsh criticisms levelled at the existing theoretical frameworks.

What did Richard Quinney claim?

Claimed that crime was caused by the capitalistic economic structure and the emphasis on materials that this system produced. Further proposed that even crimes committed by the upper classes are caused by capitalism.

What are conflict theories of crime?

Assume that all societies are in a process of constant change which inevitably creates conflicts among various groups. Much of the conflict is due to the competition to have each group's interests promoted, protected, and often put into law.

What did Thorstein Selin claim?

Claimed that separate cultures will diverge from a unitary, mainstream set of norms and values held by the dominant group in society, and will establish their own norms. Stated that more unequal the balance of power, the worse the conflict tends to be.

What did George Vold claim?

Claimed that people are naturally social and inevitable form groups out of shared needs, values, and interests.

What did Austin Turk claim?

Assumed the competition for power among various social groups as the primary cause of crime. Emphasized the idea that a certain level of conflict among groups can be beneficial as it reminds citizens to consider whether the status quo or conventional standards can be improved.