Labelling Theory Of Crime In Blueville

The presence of crime and its fluctuation in society can be explained through criminological theories, which take on different perspectives to explain specific aspects of crime. The economic recession in Blueville resulted in drastic increases in crime, which have remained stable even after the end of the recession and the increase in the availability of jobs in the area. Additionally, despite the improvement of the economy, the city saw increases in the quantity of loitering, prostitution, and drug trafficking, as well as social inequality itself. Although one may expect crime to decrease alongside an improving economy, it is clear that the effects of the recession are long lasting in the community. Ultimately, the stagnant crime rates in

Labelling theory, which is rooted in symbolic interaction theory, holds that people in societies are given symbolic labels that they learn to identify with (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 265). These labels can completely change the way in which a person sees themselves, and subsequently, others begin to only see the person through the significance of their label (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 268). In relation to crime, the negative labels that criminals are given ultimately leads to the label becoming their master status, resulting in further commitment to a criminal career (Campeau, Lecture Topic 8, Video 2). As individuals become more committed to deviant lifestyles, they turn to peers who have also been stigmatized, consequently isolating themselves from conventional society and locking them into this criminal lifestyle through social exclusion (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 265). The process of labelling is difficult to escape, as once society has labelled someone as criminal, it leads to a cycle of negative self-labelling, the joining of deviant subcultures, and further deviant acts, which only serve to amplify their deviant status (Campeau, Lecture Topic 8, Video

Merton’s anomie occurs during social change, resulting in shifting values that cause social turmoil as norms lose meaning (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 224). The two elements that produce anomic conditions are “culturally defined goals and socially approved means for obtaining them” (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 224). These culturally defined goals are universal, and typically involve money or wealth; however, the means to achieve these goals are stratified, meaning that some individuals must adapt and turn to alternative solutions in order to attain them (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 224). One form of social adaptation is innovation, which is applied when the goals of society are accepted by an individual, but the conventional means for attaining the goal is not possible (Siegel & McCormick, 2020, p. 224). It is clear that Blueville is experiencing anomic conditions, which may be behind the increases in loitering, drug trafficking, and prostitution arrests. Individuals in Blueville likely desire the universal goal of wealth; however, those marginalized groups, or those who have already been labelled as deviant, would struggle to obtain this goal conventionally. It was stated that the new jobs in Blueville are filled by educated people who are moving into the