Evaluate the contribution of Labelling Theory to our
understanding of crime and deviance.
(30 Marks)
, Evaluate the contribution of Labelling Theory to our understanding of crime
and deviance.
(30 marks)
Labelling theory, as stated in the item, focuses on how and why some people
come to be labelled as criminal or deviant, and also the effects that it has on the
person being labelled. Labelling theorists argue that crime is a social
construction as, labels are used to describe an act which is inherently criminal,
but it is only known as a criminal or deviant act once people have given it a
label. Moral entrepreneurs are people who lead a moral crusade in order to
change the law. Becker argues that this change in the law creates a new group of
outlaws, who oppose this and break rules, so this causes an increase in crime
and deviant acts.
Furthermore, labelling theorists tend to look at how laws are applied and
enforced, as not everyone who commits an offence is punished for it. Piliavin
and Briar found that police decisions to arrest a youth were mostly based on
physical cues e.g., their manner or dress and from this, they made judgements
on the youth's character. This suggest that agencies of social control are more
likely to label certain groups of people as deviant or criminal, so these findings
question the fact if official statistics are actually valid or not, as most crime may
not even be labelled as crime by social agencies of control, due to their
decisions being influenced by the suspect's gender, class and ethnicity.
Moreover, as well as how social agencies of control make judgements about a
suspect, it has been noted that they also form stereotypes about the offender.
Cicourel believes that labelling is what leads to selective law enforcement and
how justice can be negotiated. He argues that when a group is labelled as
deviant or criminal, then the police likely to focus on that group and therefore,
reinforce their stereotypes. They form typification's of the suspect and so may
negatively label them as a ‘typical criminal'. Labelling theory allows us to
realise that the law is a social construction and is often enforced in
discriminatory ways. However, labelling theory does not exactly explain where
stereotypes actually come from. It also assumes that offenders are passive
victims of labelling, so ignores the fact that individuals may actively choose
deviance.
On other hand, labelling theory has been criticised on the basis that it is too
deterministic. This is because, it implies that once someone has been labelled, a
deviant career is inevitable for them. It states that when an attempt is taken to
control deviance, it leads to greater amounts of deviance. This can actually be
supported, however, by Cohen's study of Mods and Rockers, as public
exaggeration of the situation had led to police arresting youths and courts
