CRCJ 1000A - Labelling Theory, Critical Criminology, and Feminist Perspectives

Flashcards covering Labelling Theory, Critical Criminology, Left Realism, Feminist Criminology, and Mandatory Charging based on the May 21, 2026 lecture.

Labelling Theory

A perspective focusing on the societal reaction to deviant acts and how individuals come to be defined as deviant, impacting their future behaviour and identity.

Symbolic Interactionism

The theoretical basis for Labelling Theory, asserting that behaviour is based on meanings attributed to interactional exchanges between people or groups.

Tagging

A concept by Tannenbaum ($1938$), also known as stigma, where societal reaction defines the act and labels the individual.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

A phenomenon within Labelling Theory where the reaction to deviance causes the individual to adopt the deviant label and engage in further deviance.

Primary Deviance

Acts most people engage in that require no special motivation; these occur before any official societal or state intervention.

Secondary Deviance

Deviance that results after state control agents intervene and process an individual through the Criminal Justice System ($CJS$).

Master Status

A primary identifying characteristic of an individual that supersedes all other traits, often resulting from the societal label of being a criminal or deviant.

Stigma

A sign which disqualifies an individual from full social acceptance and cements deviant behaviour rather than preventing it.

Critical Criminology

A branch of criminology that includes Marxism and feminism, opposes mainstream choice-based crime theories, and proposes transformative social solutions.

Quinney: The Social Reality of Crime

A theory suggesting criminologists should analyze the political context of laws, noting that powerful segments of society organize to avoid breaking the law while defining the less powerful as criminal.

Bourgeoisie

The elite or ruling capitalist class who own the means of production ($land, factories, industries$) and define what is considered normal or criminal.

Proletariat

The working class who sell their labour and, according to Marx, will never naturally surpass their social position in life.

Left Realism

A perspective emerging in the $1970s$ that uses victimization surveys to argue that low-income individuals are doubly victimized by the capitalist system and members of their own class.

Relative Deprivation

The sense of injustice and poverty created by capitalism which Left Realists identify as a primary cause of crime.

Feminist Criminology

An approach that criticizes traditional criminology for being male-centred ($empirical and theoretical oversight$) and focuses on gendered experiences and oppression.

Liberal Feminist Approach

The primary focus during the first wave of feminist criminology in the $1960s$ and $1970s$, which was later critiqued by multiracial and intersectional feminism.

Intimate-partner Violence ($IPV$) Statistics

In $2019$, the rate was $106$ per $100,000$ female victims compared to $59$ per $100,000$ male victims.

Mandatory Charging

A policy introduced in the $1990s$ mandating police to arrest the aggressor in domestic violence incidents to deter offenders and standardize responses.

Dual Arrest

A negative outcome of mandatory charging where both parties in a domestic incident are arrested, potentially re-victimizing the original victim.

Case of Hanadi Mohammed

A case from Ottawa where police failed to make arrests during multiple calls in $2011$, $2013$, and $2021$, resulting in the victim being killed by her husband after being stabbed $39$ times.