Topic 2 - The effects of labelling

Lemert (1951) - primary - deviant acts not publicly labelled.

Master status - sec deviance result of societal reaction. Being caught, publicly labelled - shamed, humiliated etc - becomes master status - controlling identity. In eyes of world, only known by this label -> crisis for self-concept. One way to resolve, individual to accept themselves deviant label, see themselves as world sees them -> self-fulfilling prophecy. Further deviance resulting from label - secondary deviance.

Deviant career - SD likely to provoke hostile reactions, reinforce 'outsider' status. May promote more deviance, -> deviant career. May involve joining deviant subculture.

Young (1971) - Notting Hill, hippy marijuana smokers.

Process - attempt to control deviance -> increase in level of deviance, -> greater attempts to control it, produces higher levels deviance. More control, more deviance.

Labelling theorists applied deviance amplification spiral to group behaviour.

Press exaggeration -> moral panic, growing public concern, 'crackdown'. Police responded by arresting more youths.  Seemed to confirm truth of media reaction, more public concern, -> upward spiral deviance amplification. Similar to idea of secondary deviance.

Folk devils vs dark figure - folk devils - opp of dark figure of crime - over-labelled, over-exposed to public view. Law enforcement - pursuit of folk devils draws resources away from detecting + punishing crimes that make up dark figure eg crimes of powerful.

Triplett (2000) - increasing tendency to see young offenders as evil + to be less tolerant of minor deviance. CJS re-labelled status offences eg truancy as more serious offences, harsher sentences. Resulted in increase rather than decrease in offending.

Findings indicate labelling theory important policy implication. Add weight to argument neg labelling pushes offenders towards deviant career. Logically, to reduce deviance, should make + reinforce fewer rules for people to break.

Braithwaite (1989) - identifies pos role for labelling process. 2 types of shaming:
 - disintegrative shaming - not only crime, but also criminal, labelled as bad + offender excluded from society.
 - reintegrative shaming - labels act but not actor.

Policy of RS avoids stigmatising offender as evil while making them aware of neg impact of actions upon others, encourages others to forgive them. Makes easier for offender + community to separate offender from offence, re-admit wrongdoer back into mainstream society. Avoids pushing them into sec deviance.