Labelling theory

Labelling theory

Labelling theorist see deviance in the eye of the beholder, i.e. the individual who is labelled with that term.

Becker argues that crime is socially constructed by that deviance only exists because those in power in society have decided that something is deviant and therefore it can change over time and in societies.

When Cicourel, says the negotiation of justice he means that fairness is not fixed but flexible. I.e. when a middle-class youth is arrested he is less likely to be charged than a working-class male youth. This is because the…