Crime and Deviance: Lesson 3
Labelling Theory and Crime
Key Terms: How does labelling lead to crime?
Micro Theory- (interactionist) focuses
on interactions between small groups of If we label people as deviant, the self-fulfilling prophecy will occur
individuals. and they will commit deviant acts = crime.
Self-fulfilling prophecy- when someone
Labelling theorists argue that no act is inherently criminal or
internalises a label and becomes what
deviant in itself; it only becomes so when others label it as such.
they’ve been prescribed as.
Typification- stereotyping and profiling. It’s not the nature of the act that makes it deviant, but the nature of
Sociologists: society’s reaction to the act.
Becker- Labelling theory
Becker- claims that social groups create deviance by creating rules
Pilivan & Briar
which, when broken, mean a crime has been committed, and then
Cicourel
applying them to particular people, labelling them as ‘outsiders’.
A ‘deviant’ is simply someone to whom the label has successfully been applied.
Social agencies may want to change the law to increase their own power.
New laws have 2 effects:
- Creates a new group of outsiders.
- Creation or expansion of social control agencies.
Why someone may not be punished:
- How they interact with the agency of social control.
- Their appearance, background, and personal biography.
- The situation and circumstance of the arrest.
Pilivan & Briar (1964):
They found that police decisions to arrest a youth were mainly based on physical cues.
Cicourel- The negotiation of justice:
Decisions to arrest are influenced by their stereotypes.
This leads to law enforcement showing class bias.
Cicourel found that other agents of control within the criminal justice system reinforces this bias.
He believed that justice was not fixed, but negotiable.
Youth were judged based on looks, background, and location.
Summary:
The labelling theory, formed by Becker, suggests that crime occurs due to prescribed labels leading to the
self-fulfilling prophecy. Labelling can be a consequence, or the aim, of new laws that seek to define more
acts and groups as deviant. Cicourel argues that justice is highly influenced by typification and bias,
leading to more than just the crime committed being the reason for arrest.
Labelling Theory and Crime
Key Terms: How does labelling lead to crime?
Micro Theory- (interactionist) focuses
on interactions between small groups of If we label people as deviant, the self-fulfilling prophecy will occur
individuals. and they will commit deviant acts = crime.
Self-fulfilling prophecy- when someone
Labelling theorists argue that no act is inherently criminal or
internalises a label and becomes what
deviant in itself; it only becomes so when others label it as such.
they’ve been prescribed as.
Typification- stereotyping and profiling. It’s not the nature of the act that makes it deviant, but the nature of
Sociologists: society’s reaction to the act.
Becker- Labelling theory
Becker- claims that social groups create deviance by creating rules
Pilivan & Briar
which, when broken, mean a crime has been committed, and then
Cicourel
applying them to particular people, labelling them as ‘outsiders’.
A ‘deviant’ is simply someone to whom the label has successfully been applied.
Social agencies may want to change the law to increase their own power.
New laws have 2 effects:
- Creates a new group of outsiders.
- Creation or expansion of social control agencies.
Why someone may not be punished:
- How they interact with the agency of social control.
- Their appearance, background, and personal biography.
- The situation and circumstance of the arrest.
Pilivan & Briar (1964):
They found that police decisions to arrest a youth were mainly based on physical cues.
Cicourel- The negotiation of justice:
Decisions to arrest are influenced by their stereotypes.
This leads to law enforcement showing class bias.
Cicourel found that other agents of control within the criminal justice system reinforces this bias.
He believed that justice was not fixed, but negotiable.
Youth were judged based on looks, background, and location.
Summary:
The labelling theory, formed by Becker, suggests that crime occurs due to prescribed labels leading to the
self-fulfilling prophecy. Labelling can be a consequence, or the aim, of new laws that seek to define more
acts and groups as deviant. Cicourel argues that justice is highly influenced by typification and bias,
leading to more than just the crime committed being the reason for arrest.
