Labeling Theory
Thinking about the labeling theory in terms of criminology, as a dependent or independent variable, one is met with many implications of the complex theory. It is difficult to trace stigmatizing labels because to do so one must think of a society that is oppositional by nature as opposed to a core group of its inhabitants. And it is also difficult to determine at times, even through the ostensibly objective ocular of sociological and anthropological study, which attempts in its own way to see its own nurturing culture as other, whether the application of labels is simply a matter of socio- economic oppression. Thinking about how labeling theory has implications in the present day, one is drawn towards the intense media scrutiny that has been given in recent years to the issue of racial profiling among law enforcement officers. This could be an instance of “the agents of control, who function on behalf of the powerful in society impos(ing) the labels on the less powerful” (Akers, 1994, p. 24). In this case, the label is furnished to designate and limit an individual as a criminal whether they are guilty or
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Some common words found in the essay are:
CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES, labeling theory, deviant behavior, racial profiling, law enforcement officers, enforcement officers, law enforcement, akers 1994, racial profiling law, profiling law enforcement, thinking labeling theory, image deviant, societal conditioning, evaluating crime, public labeling,
Approximate Word count = 866
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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