Labeling Theory and Delinquency Policy

1986/03/01 by MALCOLM W. KLEIN, Malcolm W. Klein · 4 citations
Social Sciences · #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance #Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis

paper · doi:10.1177/0093854886013001004

openalex publication_date 1986/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Propositions endemic to labeling theory, and variables particularly relevant to these propositions, are combined into a guiding paradigm. Components of this labeling paradigm are then tested in an experimentally controlled police diversion project in which juvenile offenders of mid-range seriousness are randomly assigned to release, community treatment, and court petition conditions. Results provide support for some labeling propositions but not others, and are seen as specifying some of the variables that delimit the policy implications of labeling theory.

Cited by

• The Effect of Police Contact
• The Effect of Youth Diversion Programs on Recidivism
• Does Policing Help or Hurt? Examining the Longitudinal Relationship Between Police Involvement and Delinquency in Norway
• School Discipline as a Turning Point

Related

• Modeling Offenders' Decisions: A Framework for Research and Policy
• Reproducing Criminal Types: Cognitive Treatment for Violent Offenders in Prison
• The Watershed of Juvenile Justice Reform
• THE CODE OF THE STREET AND INMATE VIOLENCE: INVESTIGATING THE SALIENCE OF IMPORTED BELIEF SYSTEMS
• Labeling and the Differential Impact of School Discipline on Negative Life Outcomes: Assessing Ethno-Racial Variation in the School-to-Prison Pipeline