Labelling

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Deviance is socially constructed. No such thing as a deviant nor a deviant act. Only become seen as crimes once society has
reacted and decided they are offended by the behaviour.

Question 2

How does it explain the causes of criminality?

Answer 2

If person successfully labelled as a criminal, then consequences follow.

Question 3

Typifications

Answer 3

Police + judges have (stereotypes) of
the kinds of people who are ‘typical criminals’.

Question 4

Labelling process

Answer 4

1.A person commits an act and gets caught.
2. They are labelled as a criminal, and this label becomes part of their identity.
3. The label can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the person acts according to the label.
4. The criminal label becomes their master status, overshadowing other aspects of who they are.
5. They may start a deviant career, struggling to reintegrate into society and turning to more crime.
6. Deviant subcultures may form, offering support from others similarly labelled and rejected by society.

Question 5

Strengths

Answer 5

Shows the law is not a fixed set of rules to be taken for granted.
Shows how attempts to control deviance can trigger a deviance spiral

Question 6

Weaknesses

Answer 6

Wrongly implies that once someone is labelled, a deviant career is inevitable.
Fails to explain why people commit primary deviance in the first place.