MODERN LABELLING THEORY OF CRIME

TANNENBAUM (1938)
• Tagging, defining, segregating by labeling
• Labelling helps treatment
Lement (1951)
• primary and secondary deviance
• primary – they do not see themselves as deviant
• secondary – they accept deviant status
• Primary deviance – biological, psychological
sociological reasons.
• Secondary – social reaction to primary
deviance
• Crimes created – by laws
DITTON (1979)
• Contrology – state power to control crime
• Criminal justice agencies – social control
mechanisms
• Crime control – education, mental health,
mass media
• Ultimate goal – to control troublesome
population
JOHN BRAITHWAITE
• Reintegrative theory on social control
• Disintegrative social control
• Difficult to return to society
• Branded as criminals
REINTEGRATING (SHAMING)
• To decertify offenders as deviant
• Modern society – increase in deviants
• To give opportunities to shun deviant role
HOWARD BECKER
• Theory of labelling (social reaction theory)
• Rule making different from rule – breaking
behaviour
• Becker labels them as outsider
• They accept the label
• Deviants first indulge in primary
• They step into secondary
• Those denied legitimate turn to illegitimate means
• Labelled join organized group
• He learns new forms of deviance
CLASSIFICATION
1. Rule – abiding – conforming
2. Falsely accused – labelled without breaking law
3. Pure deviants – law – breaking
4. Secret deviants – those that break law, avoid
labelling
CRITICISM
• Purely theoretical
• distinction between primary, secondary – futile
• Lack of empirical support
• A deviant is one to whom people so label