The Effects of Labeling

Abstract

Deeply embedded in the criminal law is the assumption that the punishment specified for criminal acts reflects communal condemnation of these acts as well as an effort to control their future occurrence. Adjudication of guilt and imposition of sanctions consequently attach a criminal label and a social stigma that reflects this condemnation. One of the most influential criminological theories of the last 20 years has been labeling theory, which focuses on this process and raises important questions about it. How do particular acts become defined as criminal or deviant? What takes place in the process by which labels and stigma are successfully imposed? What effect does labeling have on the subsequent conduct of offenders or deviants? In this chapter we will focus on the policy issues raised by this last question.