- How is labeling theory different from anomie and ecological
theories? How does the concept of symbolic interactionism affect
labeling?
Labeling theory and anomie theory have a similarity in that they
can describe an individual's deviance based upon reaction to societal
norms; however, they can be differentiated in that labeling theory
is based upon the assumption that this deviance can be based upon the
individual's reaction to being labeled by society as a criminal,
while anomie theory explains deviance as a reaction to the strain
placed on the individual when contrasting the goals set by society on
the individual, and that individual's ability to attain those goals
within the guidelines set by society. Thus, labeling theory places
more emphasis on how social norms shape the individual.
Labeling theory is “an offshoot of symbolic interactionism,”
((Williams & McShane, 2014, p.110) that describes the behavior
of an individual to a symbol in the form of a label.
- How effective is labeling theory in explaining the situation
in San Francisco and other cities in California? Why?
Labeling theory is effecitve at explaing the situation under the
theory's assumptions: Tim Nichols, ex-San Francisco police officer,
on the high black arrest rate: "It comes from the fact the
majority of officers who want to take on criminals are in the Bayview
and the Fillmore, which are heavily black. I don't believe it's
racism. ... Officers have to pick and choose the severity of the
crime they want to spend their time on, and officers who make a lot
of arrests generally go after hard-core criminals." He also said
black drug dealers are particularly visible: "How often do you
see a group of whites standing on the street corner selling
narcotics? Generally whites don't sell on the corner."
(Swaed, 2006, p.8) Thus it can be seen that police are looking for
suspects based upon labeling premises, which are then justified by
making the arrests. It aalso present the danger that an individual
may be labeled with courtesy stigma for being associated with a
suspect, annd on the officer's radar in the future
- Do you believe individuals who are arrested once for a
blue-collar or white-collar crime earn a permanent label of
“criminal,” and are, therefore, more prone to commit crimes
again? Why?
I think that this differs from case to case. The head of Travis
County's DWI unit within the DA's office, Rosemary Lehmberg, was
arrested for a hit and run DWI, and yet remained head of the unit.
- Could expanding the number of activities that are labeled as
crimes actually create more criminals rather than deterring crime?
Why?
Criminalization of activity that had previously been normalized
will certainly create more “criminals” in a technical sense.
Logically speaking, the more “crimes” that exist means more
opportunity to violate those laws.
- Shaming sentences have been criticized by some as placing a
stigma or label on offenders and potentially can do more harm than
good. Others believe that shaming can only work on offenders in
small communities where individuals know many of their fellow
citizens. In the context of shaming sentences, answer these
questions:
- How effective are policies of shaming and placing stigmas on
individuals in deterring crimes?
- Do shaming sentences have equal impact on individuals of
different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds or will it affect
some individuals more than others? Why?
- Can shaming sentences be used in specific environments of
San Francisco and other Californian cities that are more prone to
crimes? Why?
There is a difference of opinion on the effectiveness of shaming
programs. Supporters claim that “When those techniques work, as
Cornell University law professor Stephen P. Garvey explored in an
analysis of shaming punishments, society saves money because
offenders do not have to be locked away for eons, victims have a
sense of being made whole again and punishment becomes more than
retribution (Cole, 2006, para.6). But what factors make a shaming
program work? The first factor would have to be the individual
himself; does the individual place higher values on his own outlook
on life, or is he susceptable to the views of his peers. The second
factor would have to be whether his subculture shares the “shame”
assigned by the criminal jutice system. Culture conflict suggests
that a subculture does not share all the values of socity as a whole,
and shaming will not work in which the subcultural mores of a
neighborhood of a different ethnicity do not assign a criminal marker
to the behavior being punished by the criminal justice system.
- With a disorganized “melting pot” found in many large
urban areas, does criminal labeling have a strong stigma and impact
on an individual's self-concept, or is it reserved more for smaller
homogenous communities?
Culture conflict theory suggests that a homogenous community
will have better chances of having shaming programs work, in that
there are no competing moral values. In addition, a community that
is smaller will have stronger interpersonal relationships then a
larger community in which there are more strangers. Stronger
relationships will carry more moral weight upon the individual.
Cole, K. (2006, November 28). Should "Shame" return to
the criminal justice system? CrimProfLaw. Retrieved May 3, 2014 from
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/crimprof_blog/2006/11/should_shame_re.html
Swaed, S. (2006, December 17). High black arrest rate calls for
inquiry. SFGate. Retrieved April 29, 2014 from
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/HIGH-BLACK-ARREST-RATE-RAISES-CALL-FOR-INQUIRY-2482118.php
Williams, F. & McShane, M. (2014)
Criminology Theory (6th edition). Pearson
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