Criminal Labelling Theory

Does criminal labelling encourage criminal behaviour?

Stereotyping a person or action is human nature, but criminal labelling can negatively influence the behaviours of people who have or are expected by society to commit crimes. The theory of criminal labelling is also referred to as the theory of social reaction, as society picks up on them and can add negative responses such as fear or resent. These stereotypes or labels used to tag negative emotions to certain ideals, focus on certain groups, such as; disadvantaged youth, people who have been convicted, the poor/homeless, Religions, etc. By labelling a behaviour as criminal or deviant, a stigma is attached. This stigma can have damaging consequences on an individual, who is linked via

By using the labelling theory, criminal behaviour can be more easily explain and explored, as it can give insight into how and why individuals chose crime over morality. This insight “ is very important for criminologists, law enforcement bodies and health care professionals who try to rehabilitate criminals” (UKessays 2015), as they can assess the very beginning point of the crime, and attempt to help, not only the individual in question, but other children and people, who can be seen going down the same path of crime from the labels and the stereotypes projected upon

Within the video, eight young people who have been in the system explain how they were labelled, treated differently, and judged harshly from their experiences as foster children. The Create Foundations director of research, Dr Joseph McDowall stated, "Once they're in care, there seems to be a pretty negative perception of the care system and people in care” (2017), from this statement, the statistics below can be understood, as this negative perception can affect the children’s sense of self. For children in out-of-home care, 70% re-offended, compared to the 59% of children who were not in out-of-home care (Legal Aid NSW, 2011,