Interactionist views of crime and deviance (30 mark)

Interactionism is a social action theory that understands society using an interpretivist approach. They argue that in society, the individual shapes the institutions. Stratifications exist because of how individuals perceive each other and how this affects their interactions. Interactionists believe that labelling is the cause of crime. Throughout my essay I will discuss sociological theory based on this and evaluate their contribution to our understanding of crime. 

Becker is a key interactionist sociologist and had four key concepts around crime 

• crime is socially constructed by the powerful. what is criminal also changes across time and culture e.g homosexuality 
• negative labels are given by the powerful to the powerless 
• labelling can lead to self fulfilling prophecy, deviant career and master status
• interactionists aim to stop labelling of minorities 

evaluating Becker: does not explain why people engage in deviant behaviour 

sees criminals as victims of labelling rather than people who choose to commit crime. 

the negotiation of justice idea suggests that justice is not fixed but can be changed/negotiated depending on your label 

• typifications are stereotypes of typical criminals, usually working class fit this. 
• this increases the amount of WC arrested and policing in WC areas increases. 
• middle class are able to apologise and can be given softer sentences as they do not fit general typification of a criminal. 
• WC overrepresented in the crime statistics due to biased outcomes of arrest.

topic vs resource -  official statistics are not fact due to the dark figure of crime. statistuics are a topic needed for investigation rather than a resource. 

• e.g lavinia woodward- MC Oxford medical student who stabbed boyfriend spared jail

evaluating cicourel -  

primary and secondary deviance

• primary - all acts which have not been caused by labelling (e.g most utilitarian crime)
• secondary - all acts which have been caused by an individual accepting the labelling

Jock Young and the drugtakers was a study which occurred in notting hill, west london, in the 1970s. firstly, smoking marijuana was an example of primary deviance and was not central to the group's activities. the control culture then negatively labelled them which caused them to retreat into their own deviant subculture. this created a self fulfilling prophecy as the group increased their drug use - an example of secondary deviance. this labelling by the control culture is an example of a deviant career.

evaluating Jock Young 

• cannot generalise due to small sample used
• could have gone native which alters perspective

deviancy amplification - an attempt to reduce deviance leads to an increase in it

the mods and rockers 

• two different and opposing subcultures in the 1960s. the groups were often reported fighting in seaside towns on bank holidays. 
  • 1964 clacton
  • caused wanton and purposeless damage equating to roughly £200
  • the media labelled them and sensationalised the stories 
  • this caused a moral panic as the public became frightened of these groups and depicted them as folk devils
  • due to the labelling, the mods and rockers seemed to embrace their negative labels as folk devils and became more deviant. 

weigh up arguments

personally, i agree with the interactionist perspective, especially that of cicourel as there are many examples to demostrate how justice is negotiable and not fixed. however i disagree with how interactionism and labelling theory portray violent criminals as victims of labelling.