labelling

Question 1

weakness: victim status

Answer 1

Its emphasis on the negative effects of labelling gives offenders a ‘victim’ status, ignoring the real victims

Question 2

strength: shifts focus

Answer 2

It shifts the focus onto how the police create crime by applying labels based on their stereotypes of the typical criminal. This selective law enforcement may explain why the working class and minority groups are over-represented in the crime statistics.

Question 3

strength: deviance amp spiral

Answer 3

It shows how attempts to control deviance can trigger a deviance amplification spiral and create more deviance.

Question 4

weakness: determinism

Answer 4

It wrongly implies that once someone is labelled, a deviant career is inevitable. (This is called determinism – as though the outcome is predetermined).