Using material from item A and elsewhere, assess the view that crime and deviance are the product of labelling theory (21 marks)

Some sociologists believe that crime and deviance is a result labelling which is when a label is attached to a person or group of people due to their appearance, sex, ethnicity or other factors. It is also leads individuals to believe that labelling theory can create a self-fulfilling prophecy, which is when the person begins to act according to the label and hence it comes true simply through being made.

If a certain group of people have committed crime in the past they are more likely to be thought as to reoffend. Sociologists such as Cicourel investigated ‘typifications’ which are stereotypes of young offenders meaning the police focus their attentions on these ‘types’ of people. Through typifications the police concentrate on working class areas closely attaching a negative label to them. Once a label has been attached through self-fulfilling prophecy the offenders are more likely to feel victimised so may be obliged to offend again or on the other hand they may try to break the stereotype.

Similarly people tend to victimised in society due to their race. Piliavin and Briar argue that police arrest youth based on physical characteristics alone. Evidence of this happening could be reflected by the trend in the 70% rise in the number of blacks and Asians being stopped and searched. Stopping and searching people can be used as a precaution and could just be seen as a coincidence. On the other hand this stereotype could be seen as a form of racism. Making race based labels is judgemental of society where equality should be enforced.

Deviance is classified differently by many differing sociologist and there are different adaptations of what it is to be labelled. Braithwaite argued two different types of labelling, Reintergrative