Interactionism

Question 1

What is another name for Action Theory?

Answer 1

Also known as an ‘Action Theory’, it can be used as an evaluation to structural theories (feminism, functionalism, and Marxism).

Question 2

What are the two theories related to the cause of crime?

Answer 2

Labelling theory and subcultural theory.

Question 3

What does Labelling theory explore?

Answer 3

It explores the impact that labelling and criminalising individuals has on future crime rates.

Question 4

What do labelling theorists focus on?

Answer 4

They are interested in how a person’s social status may influence the likelihood of being labelled a criminal or deviant.

Question 5

What is the Power of Negotiation according to Cicourel?

Answer 5

It refers to an individual’s ability to negotiate themselves out of trouble with agents of formal control after being stopped or arrested for a crime they may or may not have committed.

Question 6

What advantages do individuals with cultural and social capital have?

Answer 6

They have the ability to negotiate with agents of force due to higher IQ and access to an elaborate speech code.

Question 7

How does social class affect perceptions of individuals by the police?

Answer 7

Individuals of a higher class are often valued in society, which provides a smokescreen that helps them negotiate out of trouble.

Question 8

What challenges do individuals without cultural or social capital face?

Answer 8

They typically struggle to negotiate with the police and are often stereotyped, especially if they belong to the working class or an ethnic minority.

Question 9

Why do working-class individuals face profiling by the police?

Answer 9

They often lack the knowledge on what to say and how to say it due to their restricted speech code, leading to profiling based on class and ethnic status.

Question 10

Who is Mohamed Al Fayed?

Answer 10

Mohamed Al Fayed was an extremely wealthy businessman and the owner of Harrod’s stores, aimed at the elite upper class society.

Question 11

What happened a year after Mohamed Al Fayed’s death?

Answer 11

Many women who were victims of sexual abuse committed by him came out for justice.

Question 12

What does the case of Mohamed Al Fayed highlight?

Answer 12

It highlights how those with status and power can negotiate their way out of crime due to their wealth.

Question 13

How would a working-class male be treated compared to Mohamed Al Fayed?

Answer 13

A working-class male would likely not be able to negotiate his way out of trouble and would be prosecuted for his actions.

Question 14

What theory does Mohamed Al Fayed’s case support?

Answer 14

It evidences Cicourel’s theory of the power of negotiation.

Question 15

What is a criticism of Cicourel’s theory?

Answer 15

Cicourel’s theory is criticized for being ignorant of the greater accountability that high-status individuals must take for their crimes.

Question 16

Who is an example of a high-status individual facing consequences for their actions?

Answer 16

Justin Timberlake faced a driving ban and a hefty fine after being caught drink driving.

Question 17

What role do advocates play during the custody process?

Answer 17

Advocates help those with restricted speech, aiding individuals with lower IQs to understand the questioning process.

Question 18

What rights does every individual have in the legal system?

Answer 18

Every individual is entitled to a fair trial and to a lawyer.

Question 19

What implication does the right to a fair trial have on negotiation?

Answer 19

It implies that everyone has the ability to negotiate reduced sentences or the removal of the criminal label, regardless of socioeconomic or ethnic status.

Question 20

What effect does labelling convicted perpetrators have?

Answer 20

Labelling convicted perpetrators of crime leads to an increased risk of reoffending.

Question 21

What is the reoffending rate for adults with a sentence of less than 12 months?

Answer 21

Adults with a sentence of less than 12 months have a reoffending rate of 57%.

Question 22

What percentage of young offenders are likely to reoffend?

Answer 22

32% of young offenders are likely to reoffend.

Question 23

What were the overall reoffending rates in 2022?

Answer 23

Overall reoffending rates in 2022 were 25.5% from January to March, increasing to 26.5% from July to September.

Question 24

What concept did Braithwaite explain regarding reoffending?

Answer 24

Braithwaite explained reoffending occurring due to disintegrative shaming, which is the effect of labelling a person with a criminal label.

Question 25

What are the consequences of being labelled as a sex offender?

Answer 25

Being labelled as a sex offender creates an inability to integrate within society, making it hard to find employment and build relationships.

Question 26

What are Hirschi's four elements that dictate criminal behavior?

Answer 26

Hirschi believed that attachment, commitment, involvement, and common values dictate if a person is likely to commit a criminal act.

Question 27

How does deprivation of social approval affect offenders?

Answer 27

Deprivation of social approval and relationships may push the offender to reoffend due to finding more common values within the prison setting.

Question 28

What is reintegrative shaming according to Braithwaite?

Answer 28

Reintegrative shaming is the process where perpetrators are given the opportunity to be remorseful and give back to the community.

Question 29

How can reoffending be reduced?

Answer 29

Reoffending can be reduced through community service and restorative justice, allowing offenders to build bonds of attachment.

Question 30

What is Braithwaite's disintegrative shaming ignorant of?

Answer 30

It is ignorant to reformation processes such as restorative justice, which enables the perpetrator to shift their label and overcome disintegrative shaming.

Question 31

How does restorative justice benefit offenders?

Answer 31

It allows them to form bonds of attachments and move forward to live a successful life, suggesting that not every convict will reoffend due to their initial label.

Question 32

What happens to the identity of very young offenders?

Answer 32

Their identity is sometimes kept hidden or they are released with a new identity, preventing the creation of a label and thus the effects of disintegrative shaming.

Question 33

What does reintegrative shaming suggest about reoffending?

Answer 33

Despite reintegrative shaming, reoffending continues, suggesting that community service and restorative justice may be ineffective.

Question 34

What does Cohen's Deviancy Amplification Cycle explore?

Answer 34

It explores the effect of labelling a person as deviant.

Question 35

How does the media affect subcultures according to the text?

Answer 35

The media exaggerates the actions of subcultures, generating moral panic and leading to their marginalisation and isolation from mainstream society.

Question 36

What is the consequence of media exaggeration on subcultures?

Answer 36

It causes issues to worsen, leading these groups to self-fulfill the criminal label suggested by the media.

Question 37

What did M. Fuller find regarding labelling theory?

Answer 37

She found that labelling theory is too deterministic and observed negative teacher labelling among year 11 black girls.

Question 38

What was the outcome of Fuller's study on 'non-conformist' girls?

Answer 38

These girls rejected the labelling and used it as a motivator to achieve educational success, questioning the validity of subcultural ideas.

Question 39

What critique is made about the deviancy amplification cycle?

Answer 39

It is too deterministic as it does not recognize that people do not always conform to their labels and can act as a catalyst for greater good.

Question 40

What is the concept of Master Status in relation to crime?

Answer 40

Master Status refers to the criminal label that individuals are known for, often broadcasted by media through 'naming and shaming'.

Question 41

How does the criminal label affect individuals?

Answer 41

The criminal label becomes difficult to shift, leading individuals to succumb to it and self-fulfill the prophecy.

Question 42

Which groups are particularly vulnerable to criminal labeling?

Answer 42

Black Afro-Caribbean/ethnic minorities and youth groups are particularly vulnerable to criminal labeling.

Question 43

What percentage of working-class students display anti-social behaviors?

Answer 43

79% of working-class (mainstream school) students display anti-social behaviors.

Question 44

When does criminal offending typically peak?

Answer 44

Criminal offending increases in adolescence and peaks in the late teens or early 20s.

Question 45

What is a consequence of labeling on young adults?

Answer 45

Most young adults develop a self-fulfilling prophecy that contributes to crime rates.

Question 46

What is a criticism of viewing offenders as passive victims of labeling?

Answer 46

It ignores that individuals may actively choose deviance due to contextual and environmental factors.

Question 47

What does the theory recognize about power and deviance?

Answer 47

It recognizes the role of power in creating deviance but fails to analyze the source of this power.

Question 48

Who does the theory focus on in terms of labeling?

Answer 48

It focuses on 'middle range officials' like policemen who apply the labels, rather than the capitalist class who create the rules.

Question 49

What does the theory fail to explain regarding labels?

Answer 49

It fails to explain the origin of the labels or why they are applied to certain groups, such as the working class.