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labelling theory |
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The labeling theory, or as some like to call it, the labeling ‘perspective’ (Livingston, 1996: 378) was first introduced by Edwin Lemert in 1951 (Conklin, 1986: 250, Knepper, 2001:183, Mannle & Hirschel, 1988:93, Masters and Roberson, 1990: 210, Williams, 1981: 144), and with the significant input of sociologists such as Becker and Schur (Masters & Roberson, 1990: 210) has had a huge impact on criminology (Walklate,1998:2killiams, 1981: 144). There has been much confusion in the past as to whether the labeling theory is actually a ‘theory’ (Coleman and Norris, 2000:72), according to Livingston (1996: 378) the labeling theory cannot actually be classed as a theory because a theory “is a set of logically connected propositions. It identifies important factors and predicts outcomes” and the labeling theory does not predict or have logically connected suggestions, “as a theory it seems one sided and simplistic; the idea that labeling may lead to further deviance may be useful as a hypothesis, but one that has not proved to be very fruitful” (Coleman and Norris, 2000: 72). However the labeling theory has come to be a very rewarding way of looking at crime and deviance and has increased our appreciation of deviant behavior (Williams, 1981:145). The labeling theory started to attract attention from countries such as England and the USA in the 1960’s because society began to question the power of the government and the definitions they gave to crime and deviance (Coleman and Norris, 2000: 70, Vetter & Silverman, 1986:61, White and Haines, 2001: 78). The labeling theory takes a different approach to crime compared to earlier theories such as positivism or classicism (Coleman and Norris, 2000:69, Reid, 1976: 231). Attention is directed away from the causes of crime to what impact criminal justice agencies and organizations has on the offender (Conklin, 1986: 250, Knepper, 2001:182, White and Haines, 2001:80), instead of focusing entirely on the criminal, the labeling theory looks at what impact the criminal justice system has on crime (Livingston, 1996: 378). According to the labeling theory, criminal behavior is shaped by criminal justice institutions (White and Haines, 2001:80) and prolonged because stigmatising labels have been dispersed by criminal justice agencies and accepted by offenders ( Holman and Quinn, 1992:155). The labeling theory proposes that instead of preventing crime, those in the criminal justice system who have the power to label actually make people become more involved in criminal behavior (Livingston, 1996: 379, White and Haines, 2001: 81). ... This concept is often referred to as the ‘self fulfilling prophecy’ (Livingston, 1996:379, Read, 1976:234), however, according to Livingston (1996:379) the self fulfilling prophecy “can happen, but labeling theory does not claim that it must happen…(it) merely suggests that researchers explore this as one of a number of possible outcomes”. ... However, according to Conklin (1986: 254) and Siegel (1989:207) some research has shown that the consequences of labeling may not be as serious as the labeling theory suggests, “ even if official labeling affects a person’s self-concept, it does not necessarily increase delinquent or criminal behavior, for there is no strong evidence that changes in self concept cause changes in law-violating behavior”. ... ) The justice system in Australia has responded to the labeling theory in some ways, for attempts have been made to divert the delinquent away from the system, such as implementing alternatives to court hearings in the form of police cautioning schemes and juvenile conferencing projects, and choosing not to make a conviction or destroying a persons criminal record when they reach a certain age. |
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Title: labelling theory
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