Labelling Theory

There are fundamental differences between those who offend and those who don't. They focus on the reaction to the act rather than the cause. 

Becker = Deviancy is a subjective decision by moral entrepreneurs, social control agents decide what behaviour is deviant.

Society's response to the act depends on whether the act has been labelled as deviant.

Lemert = Primary Deviance - act isnt labelled as deviant. Secondary Deviance - act publically labelled as deviant. 

 Deviance Amplification Spiral - 1) Once the label is attached, they may see themselves as a deviant and adopt it as their master status = SFP - living up to the label. 

2) The media demonise those labelled deviant = moral panic in society - folk devils / deviant = further marginalisation.

Cicourel = Social control agents use typifications = who's more likely to commit crime = biased powerless groups criminalised, self-serving bias. Intense patrol of areas of powerless groups = more likely to arrest them = arrest rates confirm their typifications

Officail statistics = socially constructed due too typifications and bias.

Pilliarvin Briar - Social agents look at physical cues (Mannerism/Body language) = more young arrests.

 :) - Supported by empirical evidence - education shows that label appliance can lead to further deviance. 

:( - Focuses too much on labelling of deviance and not considering the victim. Their suffering isn't socially constructed.