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Labeling Theory

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Handbook on Crime and Deviance

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

This chapter extracts a current account of the research on the labeling theory of crime. Labeling theory argues that although deviant behavior may initially stem from various causes and conditions, once individuals are labeled as deviants, especially if they are labeled by criminal justice agents (which happens disproportionally to members of disadvantaged social groups), they may experience new problems that stem from the reactions of self and others to powerful, negative stereotypes (stigma) that are attached to deviant labels. These problems in turn increase the likelihood of deviant behavior becoming stable and chronic. Critics tended to dismiss the early work on labeling theory as unscientific. But, thanks to theoretical clarity and increased availability of longitudinal data, the past few decades have witnessed an accumulation of rigorous research on the criminogenic effects of labeling. There is by now a large volume of sophisticated research indicating that criminal justice labeling tends to increase, as opposed to decrease, future criminal behavior. Moreover, a part of this research provides some support for the major theoretical mechanisms, that is, the work has found criminal labeling to influence subsequent crime by weakening social bonds, undermining opportunities, and even by spurring the development of a deviant self-concept.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Conflict theory argues that the powerless have restricted access to law-making and criminal justice policy, and hence their interests are often not represented in the laws, policies, and organizations that determine the labeling process (Reiman, 1995). Thus, deviance associated with the powerless tends to be labeled as criminal, whereas deviance associated with the powerful often escapes such stigma.

  2. 2.

    Klein (1986) reports that the treatment condition had no effect on self-reported delinquency in a follow-up survey that was conducted about nine months later on a subsample of the initial sample of offenders. However, the subsample consisted of only those subjects that participated in the follow-up survey, about 60% of the initial sample. These findings are suspect. The null-findings may be due to sampling bias in which the more serious offenders tend not to be included in the follow-up survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folklorist, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, 101, Iceland

    Jón Gunnar Bernburg

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  1. Jón Gunnar Bernburg
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Correspondence to Jón Gunnar Bernburg .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Marvin D. Krohn

  2. Department of Criminal Justice, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA

    Nicole Hendrix

  3. School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

    Gina Penly Hall

  4. School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

    Alan J. Lizotte

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Bernburg, J.G. (2019). Labeling Theory. In: Krohn, M., Hendrix, N., Penly Hall, G., Lizotte, A. (eds) Handbook on Crime and Deviance. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20779-3_10

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