Measuring the Contextual Effects and Mitigating Factors of Labeling Theory

Abstract

AbstractDespite the longevity of labeling theory, there remains a need for further empirical validation. We examine three ways that official intervention may lead to secondary (that which occurs following the fixation of a label) deviance: self-concept, pro-social expectations, and association with deviant peers. We examine a sample of labeled and non-labeled individuals, utilizing data from the Children at Risk study. Based on our analytical view of a three-year panel of 677 randomly selected juveniles, ordinary least squares regression shows that official intervention with the criminal justice system leads to an increased delinquent self-identity, decreased pro-social expectations, and an increased association with delinquent peers, which then lead to an increased likelihood of engaging in subsequent delinquency. While validating the theory, we suggest a revised model of labeling that better depicts the complicated association between formal labeling and subsequent delinquent behavior. We conclude with policy suggestions based on less formal interventions for offenders.Keywords: criminological theorylabeling theorychildren at risk (CAR)delinquency AcknowledgmentThe authors are grateful to Carter Hay for his earlier help with this conceptualization and to the reviewers for their patience and excellent suggestions.Additional informationNotes on contributorsEmily RestivoEmily Restivo is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology at the New York Institute of Technology, USA. She received her PhD in Criminology from the Florida State University in 2011. Her primary research interests center on the impact of formal labeling on subsequent criminal behavior as well as the effect of parenting on crime and delinquency. She has published work in Criminal Justice and Behavior, Crime and Delinquency, and Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice.Mark M. LanierMark M. Lanier received his interdisciplinary doctoral degree from the Michigan State University with concentrations in Criminology, Sociology, and Psychology. He is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). He has over 60 scholarly publications and recently completed Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology: A Mixed Methods Approach (2012) for Oxford University Press with Lisa Briggs and Essential Criminology co-authored with his mentor Stuart Henry, which is in the 4th edition (2013) with Desire' Anastasia.