Evaluate the view that labelling theory neglects power differences in society
- Created by: Kaitlint11
- Created on: 05-06-23 09:22
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- Evaluate the view that labelling theory neglects power differences in society
- Strengths
- Marxists state higher social classes have more power than others as they have greater wealth in the form of ownership of the means of production
- therefore the ruling class can impose their definition of who is/isn't a criminal and deviant
- labelling theorists accept that crimes committed by higher classes are less likely to be punished and less likely to be labelled
- Becker saw this as the labelling of the powerful by the relatively powerless
- - critics argued he didn't explain why or how high classes have more power and simply took it for granted that they did
- Labelling theorist, Cicourel, believes the imposition of labels by the more powerful is a result of mental categories held by the more powerful
- eg. in deviance, stereotypes of typical juvenile offender tend to fit minority ethnic groups and lower classes
- interactionalist perspective, what their theories are based on, doesn't examie the nature of power in deatil
- thus lacking an overall analysis of power compared to other perspectives
- Marxists state higher social classes have more power than others as they have greater wealth in the form of ownership of the means of production
- Limitations
- their focus on the way rules are created and applied was first sociological approach in criminology, emphasising the importance of power differences
- power isn't always a key factor in labelling. For example a black individual in a higher class may still be labelled due to their race
- due to police carrying out stop and searches and arresting people, they have power
- therefore the people they choose to search/arrest may be more subjective than simply not those of higher power
- for example, a particular police officer may be more likely to search a certain religion
- therefore the people they choose to search/arrest may be more subjective than simply not those of higher power
- Strengths
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