Interactionism and labelling theory

Question 1

Crime is a social construct

Answer 1

Crime is whatever this crime sees as fit
eg homosexuality and gay marriage is now legal

Argue that no act is inherently criminal or evil

Question 2

Becker

Answer 2

‘social groups create devience bby craeting rules whose breakingconstitues as devience

devient is someone who succesfully applied their label

Question 3

Becker ‘moral entreprnure’

Answer 3

moral crusade to change law
law has 2 effects:
- creation of a new group of outsiders
- creation or expanrion of a social control agency

Question 4

Platt

Answer 4

idea of ‘juvinile deliquency’ created by UC campaign victorian moral entrepenures - protecting younfg people at risk

Question 5

Becker - social control agencies

Answer 5

change laws to increase their power
egUS FB of Narcotics passing marjiuana tax act 1937 to outlaw maijuana
extended the bureus shpere of influence

Question 6

Who gets labelled

Answer 6

not eveyone who commits offence is punished
its dependent on factors
- interaction with agencies of social control
- apperence, background +personal bio
- situation and circumstance of offence

Question 7

Piliavin + Briar

Answer 7

found policies and decisions to arret youth were mainley based on physical cues - manner and dress
officers decisions influenced by gender, class and ethnicity + time and place
study of anti-social behaviour used against ethnic minorities eg stop and search

Question 8

Cicourel + negotiation of justice

Answer 8

officers have typifications - seteryotypes of what a deliquent is like = focus on a certain type
Law enforcement was biased - WC area
CC found justice not fixed but nigotiable
eg when MC youth was arrested they were less likley to be charged

Question 9

Cicourel - official stats

Answer 9

shouldn’t take stats at face value we should investegate process created for them

Question 10

The social construction of crime stats

Answer 10

interactionist - crime stats are socially constructed.
The outcomes depends on the label they attatch to thge individual
Label is likley to be affected by the typifications they hold abt them
stats only tell us abt the activities of police and procecuters

Question 11

Dark figure of crime

Answer 11

difference betwean offical stats and the ‘real’ rate of crime

Question 12

Alternative stats of crime

Answer 12

sociologist use victum serveys or self report study to gain more accurate veiw of the amount of crime

Question 13

Effects of labelling - matster status

Answer 13

eyes of the wold he’s no longer a father or neighbour hes a theif, pedo - an outsider
can provoke cisis for individual = accept devient lable and = self forfilling prophacy

Question 14

Effects of labelling

Question 15

Primary and secondary deviance

Answer 15

lermert
- primary devianrt acts that havent been labelled
- secondary serious crime

Question 16

deviency amplefication spiral

Answer 16

attempt to control the devience increases it

eg knife crime clampdown
increase level of crime