Labelling and Critical Criminology Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is the New Deviancy Theory?
- A radical response to Positivist views
- Emphases free will and agency
- Normality vs pathology
- Uses ethnography
- Social control produces crime (e.g labelling)
Primary and Secondary deviance?
- Primary - simply committing a prohibited act
- if initial act cause a social reaction = person becomes stigmatised
- Secondary - the person then accepts deviant status and therefore changes their lives around deviant acts (e.g. changes friend group)
What are moral entrepreneurs/ crusaders?
people who want to help those beneath them achieve a better status
e.g. anti tobacco smocking groups
What did Becker say in his book ‘Outsiders’
- Deviance is not inherent in the act itself; it arises from others applying rules and sanctions
- Social groups create deviance by making rules and labelling rule-breakers as “outsiders.”
The 9 steps in Cohens Moral Panic theory?
- Act defined as ‘deviant’ draws public attention
- The act becomes associated with a particular group of people ( e.g. folk devils)
- The cause of the act is simplified (poor parenting, lack of discipline etc.)
- Media use derogatory language to stigmatise the deviant group
- Media, public, moral entrepreneurs call for action
- The government responds punitively
- The group are alienated and stigmatised even more
- This reinforces the bonds of the group and leads to more deviance
- More deviance leads to further punishments
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy in the context of labelling theory?
When society labels individuals as ‘bad’, then treat them based on that label, which in turn reinforces criminal behaviour and limits access to legitimate opportunities e.g. employment, housing etc
Criticisms of labelling theory
- Doesn’t explain primary deviance
- Problems of ‘secret’ deviance’ (acts that go unnoticed and unlabelled)
- Not a total theory- perspective
Critical Criminology- 3 Marxist concepts of the ‘mode of production’?
- Means of production – machinery & technology
- Forces of production – human labour
- Social relations of production – relationship between the bourgeoisie (owners) and proletariat (workers)
What is the Lempenprotetariat and how does it relate to crime?
-A group often linked to criminal behaviour-often the unemployed, criminals, beggars, and other marginalised groups
- Human nature is fulfilled through productive work.
- Denial of productive work causes demoralisation.
- This leads to the rise of the lumpenproletariat
- The law does not protect everyone’s interests; it represents the interests of the dominant class.
- Crime is seen as a rational response to poverty and exclusion.
What is the difference between consensus theories and conflict theories in criminology?
Consensus theories argue that laws represent everyone due to democratic processes
Conflict theories contend that power is concentrated among elites, skewing laws to serve their interests.
What is Egoism (Bonger)
the consequence of capitalism and leads to increased crime
What does Jock Young’s ‘new criminology’ emphasise?
- Criminology should focus on inequality.
- Capitalism shapes society, creates class conflict, and leads to crime.
- Law protects the powerful and hides crimes of domination.
- Crime supports capitalism and is shaped by the legal system.
How does George Vold describe the process of criminalisation?
- People naturally form attachments to groups.
- Groups conflict because of competing interests.
- Criminal acts are often done to benefit the group (e.g., secondary picketing during industrial action).
What did Jock Young say about positivism?
- It ignores human free-will and creativity
he was influences by Labelling, Deviancy Theories, Durkheim and Marx
Critiques of Critical Criminology?
- Teleology -doesn’t explain why crime occurs, just explains it’s social function
- Determinism- assuming crime is an inevitable result of capitalism.
- Idealism: Crime as rebellion gives too much credit to criminals and ignores the harm crime causes, especially to working-class people.
What is the basic feature of all societies according to conflict theory?
The struggle between different groups for access to limited resources.
How does conflict theory explain criminal behaviours?
Crime is seen as a result of social inequality and the struggles between different classes or groups
They act deviant to change their circumstances
What role do social and governmental institutions play according to conflict theorists?
Laws and the legal system are used to maintain the dominance of the ruling class and oppress the working class
