Labbeling - Essay Plan Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is the key idea of Becker’s (1963) labelling theory of crime?
Becker argues that deviance is a social construct. No act is inherently criminal — it only becomes deviant when powerful agents of social control (e.g. police, media, courts) label it as such.
What real-life example supports Becker’s theory of the social construction of crime?
Police in deprived areas like Middlesbrough over-police and arrest young people for minor acts (e.g. loitering), while similar behaviour in middle-class areas is often ignored — showing that who commits the act matters more than what the act is.
How does Becker’s theory apply sociological concepts to the issue of crime?
Becker uses interactionism, focusing on how deviance is defined through social reaction. He highlights how power and stereotypes influence who gets labelled, aligning with the AQA spec on social construction of crime.
What is a key criticism of Becker’s theory?
It doesn’t explain why people commit deviant acts initially — it only explains how society reacts to them.
What does Cicourel (1976) argue about the justice system?
Cicourel claims that justice is negotiable. Police and probation officers use class-based stereotypes, meaning working-class youth are more likely to be charged, while middle-class youth are often let off.
What evidence supports Cicourel’s idea of negotiated justice?
The Youth Justice Board (2022) found that working-class young offenders were more likely to be prosecuted for the same offences that middle-class youths received community resolutions for.
How does Cicourel’s theory apply sociological ideas to criminal justice?
It applies concepts like cultural capital, language codes, and stereotyping to explain inequality in the justice system, showing how deviance is shaped by social interaction and power.
What is a criticism of Cicourel’s theory?
It focuses only on micro-level interactions, ignoring structural causes like poverty or inequality that lead to deviance in the first place.
What is Lemert’s (1951) concept of primary and secondary deviance?
Primary deviance refers to minor, often unnoticed rule-breaking. Secondary deviance occurs when an individual is publicly labelled, leading to stigmatisation, identity change, and further deviance.
What example supports Lemert’s theory of secondary deviance?
Ministry of Justice (2016): Excluded students — often working-class — were twice as likely to be in prison by age 24. Labelling them as “troublemakers” can lead to deviant careers.
How does Lemert’s theory apply sociological insight to the issue of deviance?
It explains the self-fulfilling prophecy, master status, and deviance amplification — showing how societal reaction can escalate deviance, especially among young working-class males.
What is a limitation of Lemert’s theory?
It’s too deterministic — not everyone accepts or internalises their label. Some reject it or are able to negotiate a non-deviant identity.
What is the Marxist critique of labelling theory?
Marxists argue that labelling theory ignores the root causes of crime, like capitalism, inequality, and class oppression. They claim the ruling class controls the legal system and avoids being labelled altogether.
What example supports the Marxist critique of labelling?
After the 2008 financial crash, banks like RBS and Lehman Brothers engaged in mass fraud, but no executives were jailed — showing that powerful elites can avoid labels and criminalisation.
How does Marxist theory apply sociological concepts to labelling?
Marxists apply ideas like ideological state apparatus, hegemony, and class dominance to show that crime and labelling serve the interests of the ruling class — a macro perspective labelling theory lacks.
What is a key limitation of the Marxist critique?
While it explains why labelling occurs unequally, it overlooks the detailed interactional processes that labelling theory focuses on.
