Deck 6: Labeling Theory: Societal Reaction and the Creation of Criminals

Question 1

According to labeling theory, _____ involves offending that is not punished and/or has little long-term influence on or consequences for the actor.

A) Primary deviance.
B) Differential reinforcement.
C) Secondary deviance.
D) Deviance amplification.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The idea that only certain law violators are detected and designated as criminal is consistent with which theory?

A) Differential association theory.
B) Techniques of neutralization.
C) Labeling theory.
D) Social bond theory.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In his theory of reintegrative shaming, Braithwaite argues

A) Labeling or shaming-no matter how it is done-always causes people to become more criminal.
B) We should punish the sinner, not the sin.
C) Stigmatizing and rejecting offenders will cause them to become more criminal.
D) We should give up trying to save offenders because most of them cannot change.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements is not a way in which narratives of those desisting differ from that of active offenders?

A) There is an establishment of the core belief that characterizes the person's true self.
B) The belief that one's life is determined by fate.
C) An optimistic perception of personal control over one's destiny.
D) A desire to be productive and give something back.

Question 5

Which of the following policies would Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming argue is most likely to reduce crime?

A) Programs that publicize (e.g., on television or in the newspaper) that someone has been convicted of a crime so that everyone in the neighborhood can watch and keep away from the offender.
B) Scared Straight programs that show delinquents the terrors of life in prison.
C) Restorative justice programs.
D) Imprisoning offenders in hopes of shaming them into taking responsibility for their actions.

Question 6

John Braithwaite's theory of crime would argue that crime rates are high in the United States because

A) The nation's criminal justice system fails to stigmatize offenders.
B) The United States has a lenient criminal justice system.
C) The United States is not a communitarian society.
D) The United States has too much welfare and does not stress individual responsibility.

Question 7

How do those who make good handle their past criminal behavior?

A) They attempt to hide it from others.
B) They attempt to ignore it or not think about it.
C) They define that time as their true identity.
D) They find meaning in it and use it to help others.

Question 8

Which of the following terms refers to a person's willful, cognitive distortion where criminal pasts are recast and desistance occurs?

A) Becoming good.
B) Making good.
C) Reintegrative transformation.
D) Positive transformation.

Question 9

Which of the following is true according to the theory of reintegrative shaming?

A) Stigmatization increases the attraction to criminal subcultures.
B) Stigmatization decreases the attraction to criminal subcultures.
C) Stigmatization leads to effective control.
D) Stigmatization involves reconciling the offender with the community.

Question 10

Which of the following is true about the concept of reintegrative shaming?

A) Reintegration precedes shaming.
B) It refers to any processes of expressing disapproval with the intention of invoking remorse.
C) It is a process that makes the offender an outcast.
D) It is a process whereby a criminal act is considered evil, but the offender is viewed as essentially good.

Question 11

Which of the following is true about the effectiveness of shaming?

A) Effectiveness is often enhanced when the shame is directed not only to the offenders, but also to the offender's collectives (e.g., his/her family, workplace, etc.).
B) Effectiveness is greatest for those weakly attached to others.
C) Shaming is only effective when done by those who know the offender.
D) The more public the shaming, the less effective it is.

Question 12

What role do criminal subcultures play in Braithwaite's theory of shaming?

A) They reintegrate the offender into mainstream society.
B) They provide systematic social support for crime.
C) They make the offender an outcast.
D) They engage in stigmatizing shaming more than reintegrative shaming.

Question 13

Tannenbaum's work in the labeling tradition is noted for which concept(s)?

A) Primary versus secondary deviance.
B) Reflected appraisals.
C) Defiance theory.
D) Dramatization of evil.

Question 14

Which of the following criminal penalties is likely to result in the lowest recidivism, according to defiance theory?

A) When a weakly tied individual receives a penalty he or she perceives as just.
B) When a weakly tied individual receives a penalty he or she perceives as unjust.
C) When a strongly tied individual receives a penalty he or she perceives as just.
D) When a strongly tied individual receives a penalty he or she perceives as unjust.

Question 15

What are the four key concepts that affect defiance, according to Sherman?

A) Legitimacy, social bonds, shame, pride.
B) Interdependency, shaming, communitarianism, stigmatization.
C) Legitimacy, interdependency, stigmatization, reintegrative shaming.
D) Dramatization, shaming, communitarianism, pride.

Question 16

Which of the following theorists would argue that radical nonintervention would be an effective crime prevention policy?

A) Sherman.
B) Braithwaite.
C) Matsueda.
D) Tannenbaum.

Question 17

If there is a net increase in the prevalence of offending across a collective based on the reaction of the collective to the punishment of one of its members, which of the following has occurred, according to defiance theory?

A) Specific defiance.
B) General defiance.
C) Specific deterrence.
D) General deterrence.

Question 18

If there is a crime committed against a sanctioning agent in response to a punishment, which of the following has occurred, according to defiance theory?

A) Direct defiance.
B) Indirect defiance.
C) Specific deterrence.
D) Indirect deterrence.

Question 19

Which of the following is true regarding research on the effectiveness of restorative justice?

A) Victims are not satisfied because they see it as too soft on offenders.
B) The likelihood of recidivism appears greater among those experiencing restorative justice as opposed to traditional criminal justice.
C) Victims of crime appear more satisfied with restorative justice in comparison to traditional criminal justice.
D) There are no evaluations of the effectiveness of restorative justice.

Question 20

The idea that police brutality in particular might lead to further crime is best explained by which concept/theory?

A) Reflected appraisals.
B) Primary deviance.
C) Reintegrative shaming.
D) Defiance theory.

Question 21

Explain the difference between Lemert's notions of primary and secondary deviance. Explain the sequence leading to secondary deviance.

Question 22

What are reflected appraisals, and what role do they play in delinquency, according to Matsueda's work?

Question 23

What is reintegrative shaming as opposed to other types of shaming?

Question 24

Why/how does reintegrative shaming work to prevent crime, according to Braithwaite?

Question 25

When is a criminal sanction most likely to lead to defiance as opposed to deterrence, according to Sherman?

Question 26

What is restorative justice? Why/how is it compatible with Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming? Why/how is it compatible with Sherman's defiance theory?

Question 27

Describe the difference between a redemption and condemnation script. How do these narratives lead to either the persistence or the desistance of crime?

Question 28

How do the labeling theories addressed in this chapter inform criminal justice policy? What changes in criminal justice must be made to have a more effective system?