The question of mass incarceration is a serious criminal justice issue. The criminological theories that suit the examination of high incarceration rates are the labelling theory and social disorganization theory. The theories examine the relationship between a society, individuals, and crime. From the examination of these theories, it is possible to understand how they relate to mass incarceration, especially among the Black communities and women in the U.S.
Labelling theory was developed by Émile Durkheim and examines the issue of stereotyping and its consequences. According to the theory, the people in the positions of powers make decisions that define what passes as crime (Bernburg, 2019). By these powers, they have the ability to label one as a criminal, which, consequentially, limits the ability of the labelled to achieve success in the society. Those labelled as criminals are thence robbed of options, and continue to maintain the charade, and eventually living up to the self-fulfilling prophesy, becoming criminals. The issue in this case is that stereotyping creates stigma, which affects the stereotyped. Macionis (2010) notes that stigma has a powerful negative label, which has the ability to change the person’s sense of self-concept and social identity. The labelling theory thus is relevant in explaining criminal trends in societies.
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Labelling theory is greatly relevant in explaining why the majority White in the U.S., who occupy the most powerful positions, formed laws that targeted the criminal justice system, turning it to a system that was interested in punishment and retribution, rather than reform and rehabilitation. Secondly, it explains why the ex-offender find it difficult to reintegrate in the society, and in the long-run, find themselves reoffending (Bernburg, 2019). Those convicted and released are permanently labelled as ‘criminals’ and therefore, a stereotype halo of ‘bad person’ looms over their heads. In the process, they have a very difficult time finding meaningful employment to give their lives purpose, and the only available option is crime, which sends them back to prison, thus continuing the cycle of incarceration.
The second theory is the social disorganization theory. This theory asserts that the motivation to criminals is from their surrounding environment. In an environment where there is lower income and relative poverty, crime become an alternative to finding income, and therefore, people accept delinquency. According to the theory, the place has a great influence on encouraging crime than individual choices and characteristics. The presence of stressors in the economically deprived environments motivate offenders to become criminals. This theory shows the relationship between high rates of arrests from poor communities.
The social disorganization theory provides an elaborate understanding on why the Blacks in America are the victims of the criminal justice systems and mass incarceration. Poverty rates in the U.S. are disproportionately distributed to the Black, making them the lowest income earners, and the residents of the least developed neighbourhoods (Kubrin, 2009). Due to this social disorganization, they are oriented towards finding means of survival, and this is achieved through crime. The response of the law has been on arresting and indicting the offenders, but the theory posits that without addressing the environmental circumstances, the rates of crimes and the resulting high arrests from these places cannot be reduced, or eliminated (Kubrin, 2009).
In summary, criminological theories are important in explaining the relationship between crime, the society and individuals. People commit crimes due to many reasons, and even though personal characteristics, like the desire to have the most with the least work play a role, other factors such as the environment, stereotyping, and absence of capable guardians motivate crime. The labelling theory and the social disorganization theory provides elaborate foundation in analysing high crime rates among the minority groups.
References
Bernburg, J. G. (2019). Labelling theory. In Handbook on crime and deviance (pp. 179-196). Springer, Cham.
Kubrin, C. E. (2009). Social disorganization theory: Then, now, and in the future. In Handbook on crime and deviance (pp. 225-236). Springer, New York, NY.
Macionis, J. and Linda G. (2010). Sociology (7th ed.). London: Pearson Education Canada.
