Labeling Theory

Labeling Theory When an individual become labeled as a criminal it becomes their "master status." "…deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an 'offender.' The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label" Howard S. Becker, (1963) Outsiders, (p.9). If you are labeled as a criminal, people do not consider all the good things you have done; they just see that you committed some type of a felony and are now a criminal. Once a person is labeled and judged by society it is very hard to get back to what they once had and people often have an identity change. This is a social problem because labeling these people basically ruins their lives to the point where they have no choice but to for fill that label they were given. The labeling theory poses the question if those who have previously been labeled as criminal are more likely to repeat criminal acts. If society continues to accept this criminological theory it will continue to cause social problems for both the "criminal" and community. Scholars stated that, the labeling of individuals can be "a stepping stone in the development of a delinquent career" (Bernburg). When some one commits a crime at a young age they are forever labeled and looked at as a criminal. This theory is saying that people can not change and that people are not allowed to make mistakes. When someone is labeled a criminal at a young age they will continue to commit criminal acts because they are already viewed as criminal and will never be seen different. Therefore they do not find a need to change people's impressions of them. By labeling people it destroys their self image and identity. Everything they are told is negative and feel they can do no right. They begin to think differently of themselves which my lead to later criminal acts. Not only is this labeling process

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