NCJ Number
86037
Journal
Sociology and Social Research Volume: 67 Issue: 1 Dated: (October 1982) Pages: 76-88
Date Published
1982
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The dynamics of labeling in a juvenile justice setting are the focus of this study. Subjects were white males aged 14 to 16, who had been arrested.
Abstract
A correlation analysis showed that negative labeling by police is contradicted by labeling by parents, peers, and adult neighbors; and, police are not considered as credible. Only friends are seen as important and credible when they place a negative label. The dynamics of labeling partly depend on youth's involvement in delinquency, for the least delinquent youths are most likely to view adults as important in the first place. In an experiment, subjects who were assigned to a formal precourt hearing felt that the presiding official labeled them more negatively. However, they felt the official was less credible than did youths in the informal procedure. The article concludes with a discussion of the the practical importance of findings, and their relevance to symbolic interactionist theory. (Author abstract)