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Labelling Theory Within The Criminal Justice System And Recidivism Rates

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Introduction In Canada, there is a positive relationship between labelling theory within the criminal justice system and recidivism rates. Becker explains labeling theory as “deviancy is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’. Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label” (1963). This means that those who have been labeled as criminals by society are likely to face additional problems due to this label. This theory is backed by data as youths who have been taken to court have been found to have a higher chance of obtaining a criminal record as an adult as compared to those who were not taken to court (Petitclerc et al., 2013). It is important …show more content…

When an individual is either arrested, charged, or convicted of a sex offense, they are then labelled as a first-time sex offender. Those labeled as known sex offenders are subjected to negative social perception. Data on the effects of labelling first time youth sexual offenders will be obtained by self-reported surveys and official criminal records. Self-reports will shed light on the narrative of labelled individuals and their experience with social stigmatization after receiving a title. Official criminal records will be used to ensure that the quantitative data is reliable and has been recorded. The independent variables in this study are labelled and unlabelled first-time youth sexual offenders. To measure these variables, it must be on an ordinal level of measurement. It must be on an ordinal level of measurement as there is a natural order of the categories but no quantifiable difference between the two. At this level, attitudes and behaviours can be compared to being labelled as opposed to not being labelled. The dependent variable is defined as the rate at which an individual is likely to come into contact with the criminal justice system and commit a subsequent sexual offense including re-incarceration, re-conviction, and re-arrest. To collect data on rates of recidivism, official criminal records must be obtained from both Canada and the US. Further examination of the individual’s criminal history must be considered over a period of time. A ratio level of measurement is demonstrated by the comparison of rates of re-offense in the labelled group contrasted against the rates of re-offense in the unlabelled group. Because it is on a ratio level, the counts will begin at zero and go onward as participants reoffend. Conducting research on this phenomenon will provide more nuance into labelling theory and its effect on recidivism rates across western

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