CRM 1300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Social Control Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, Labeling Theory
13 Sep 2015
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Document Summary
Crime is a consequence of interpersonal relationships and of the meaning of those relationships. It is not determined by the level of harm caused to society by the act; instead, the label of crime is conferred on the act by the state. The process of labeling something as deviant or criminal is not done equally. It occurs because there are power holders that tend to rule over others. Moral entrepreneurs are people who define new rules and laws or advances stricter enforcement of existing laws. This process involves rule creators (crusading reformer) and rule enforcers. Claims are selectively constructed in line with the claims maker"s view and seldom in line with empirical evidence. Moral entrepreneurship can define actions as criminal and influence criminal justice system responses. Criminal careers: the sequence of stages of personal involvement with criminal activity through which people move. Lemert identified two stages that people move through during their deviant careers:
