“THEORIES OF CRIMES AND DELINQUENCY: LABELING AND

CONFLICT THEORY”

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Subject

JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY

Submitted to:

Professor ANGEL M. CALIGUIRAN, Ph.D., CSP

Submitted by:

NELSON B BENDANILLO
TOPIC: “Theories of Crimes and Delinquency: Labeling and Conflict Theory”

REPORTER: Bendanillo, Nelson B.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Give an overview on juvenile justice and delinquency;

2. Discuss the concept of labeling and juvenile delinquency ; and

3. Discuss the conflict theory and delinquency.

What is the juvenile justice system?

It is a separate juvenile justice system was established in the United

States about 100 years ago with the goal of diverting youthful offenders from the

destructive punishments of criminal courts and encouraging rehabilitation based

on the individual juvenile's needs. The primary goals of the juvenile justice

system, in addition to maintaining public safety, are skill development,

habilitation, rehabilitation, addressing treatment needs, and successful

reintegration of youth into the community.

What Is Juvenile Delinquency?

The term juvenile refers to anyone under the age of 18 regardless of how

each individual state defines a juvenile. (FBI)

A delinquent is an individual who fails to obey the laws.

 Juvenile delinquency is defined as an individual under the age of 18 who

fails to abide by the laws.

OVERVIEW

This analysis of labeling and conflict theories of delinquency examines the

social context of these theories, the content of the theories, the empirical

adequacy of each, policy implications that flow from them, and their conceptions

of law.

LABELING AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

Labelling refers to the action of control agents or agencies that

categorizes adolescent miscreants as delinquents. Such action is viewed by

labeling theorists as a factor in increasing a juvenile's sense of alienation from

normative society, thus fuelling deviant behaviors. The theory about labeling

juvenile as delinquent says that once a juvenile is labeled as delinquent he/she

will surrender him as delinquent. This juvenile delinquent label entails that the

person is out of control of the parents, school, police, and other authorities. So,

only legal justice system has the right to call a person as a juvenile delinquent.

This labeling is only possible once the juvenile has a fair trial and the crime is of

serious nature. But in some cases there is an unfair labeling of delinquency even

before the trial. Unofficially, the community also labels a juvenile deviant because

of the criminal activity.

 Labelling theory states that the labels given to people influence their

behavior. In other words, if someone is labeled a criminal, they are more likely to

act like a criminal.

The official adjudication of the juvenile in the court may increase the risk of

further involvement in deviant activities. Because it gives the juvenile a reputation

of deviancy among peers and parents of peers. The juvenile considers himself a

deviant person. Therefore, he/she finds it fitting to become part of a socially

deviant group. In this way, the juvenile participates in further criminal activities,

he considers it his career. The socially deviant group will act as a protection

against all the crimes. Although this protection is not a real protection but the

juvenile may finds it really satisfying. The juvenile will feel like this is the only

place where all of his criminal activities get approval.

In short, the labeling of the juvenile as a criminal will make this person not

a good fit for the normal society. The negative impression of labeling will make

the juvenile represented as irresponsible and not a trustworthy member of the

society. There are some stereotypes that our society most cruelly assigns them.

The juveniles are well-aware of these stereotypes that will worsen the situation.

JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES

Juvenile detention facilities may sometimes have a negative influence on

the youth. The juvenile can become part of a gang in the detention facility. A
juvenile can meet other criminal youth that can add to the negative behavior and

violence. The environment that surrounds the youth is not suitable to learn good

behavior. It is difficult to make sure that the juvenile does not become part of any

gang during detention. It is important that the juvenile should work productively

during the detention time. This detention time means not only social training but

moral and spiritual training. The juvenile needs good role models around him that

can help him mold into a good person. Community work is a good intervention for

minor delinquency.

REJECTION FROM PEERS

The juveniles know about the stereotypes, stigmas, and labels that the

society assigns to delinquent teenagers. The society may assign these labels to

the juvenile or else the juvenile knows from his previous perception of the

delinquents in the society. In any case, the juvenile may find hesitant to become

friend with the conventional peer sin the society. The juvenile will withdraw from

the peers and will become part of deviant groups. This is because they hesitate,

feel embarrassed, scared, uneasy, or confused of how others will react towards

them.

The non-labeled peers will also feel hesitant to become friends with

labeled peers. There is always pressure from parents and teachers to stay away

from deviant people and groups. There is always a feeling of fear and lack of

trust towards deviant person. The conventional peers will fear that the labeled
juvenile might have ties with deviant groups. This can prove dangerous for them.

The stigmatization will make it difficult for both the labeled and the non-labeled

teens to become friend.

FEELING OF HUMILITY

Some juvenile find it humiliating and demeaning that others have labeled

them as a criminal. As a result they become more violent, deviant and try to take

revenge from the society. This embarrassment also makes it difficult to become

friend with conventional teens.

CONFLICT THEORY AND DELIQUENCY

Conflict theory also focuses on the contributions of societal structure to

delinquency, namely, society's exclusion of youth from meaningful participation in

the adult work world. Delinquency or rebellion against this suppression and

alienation is an inevitable juvenile reaction to this status. To date little research

has focused on the empirical validity of this theory. Policy implications consist of

the restructuring of society into a participatory democracy with decentralized

control. Under conflict theory, juvenile laws are viewed as tools to suppress

juveniles and confirm their place in the socioeconomic structure.

Another attempt to explain crime in society is through the social conflict

theory. This states that crime is a product of class conflict. Let's break this down

into two main points: a) Social conflict theory assumes that societies are built on
a division of the rich and poor into different social classes; b) This theory states

that laws are created by people in power or the rich, in order to protect their

own wealth.

The most distinctive features of conflict theories include attention to the

role of power relations and economic contradictions in generating delinquency

and reactions to it. For example, conflict theories have focused on the role of

dominant societal groups in imposing legal labels on members of subordinate

societal groups. The fact that subcultural groups typically are also subordinate

groups ties this work to earlier theoretical traditions.

Conflict theory is based upon the view that the fundamental causes of

crime are the social and economic forces operating within society.

Furthermore, [5] illustrates that Marx’s theoretical approach proposed

conceptual stages while explaining the root causes of delinquent behaviors.

These are: a) although social systems reveal interdependence of certain units

and groups, these interrelations always reveal conflicts of interest; b) latent

conflicts of interest will eventually lead to overt and violent conflict among social

groups in a system; c) these conflicts will eventually lead to the dominant and

subjugated segments of a system’s becoming polarized; d) the more polarized

the dominant and subjugated, the more violent the ensuing conflict will be. The

more violent the conflict, the greater will be the structural change of the system
and the redistribution of scarce resources; e) this reorganization once again

creates conditions of conflicting interest between the new dominant and

subjugated classes, which will set into motion the inevitable processes of class

conflict, polarization, violence, and system reorganization.

REFERENCES:

1. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/labeling-and-conflict-
approaches-delinquency-introduction-juvenile#:~:text=Conflict%20theory
%20also%20focuses%20on,juvenile%20reaction%20to%20this%20status.
2. https://study.com/academy/lesson/theory-crime-labeling-social-conflict-
theories.html
3. http://researcharticles.com/index.php/labeling-and-juvenile-delinquency/
4. https://www.scirp.org/html/97056_97056.htm