1.  
Nancy Button
Governors State University

2.  Analyzes how society
applies a [negative]
definition to the label
“criminal”
 Howard Becker is thought
to be most influential
individual in formulating
the labeling theory
Howard S. Becker

3.  Little to no morals
 Poor character
 Likely to continue committing crime
 Less important than law abiding citizens
 Bad influence

4.  Loss of previous friends
o Leaves offender to turn to other offenders for friendship, a
potential negative influence
 Negative view from society
o Possibility of offender accepting “criminal” label as being true, thus
him or her basing their actions around the label
 Difficulty finding good employment opportunities
o Individual may then turn to crime as a source of money

5. Reduce the amount of offenders labeled as
“criminals” by increasing the use of diversion
programs!

6.  Police, community, or court programs imposed upon an
offender in order to reduce the amount of individuals
within the justice system
o Drug Court
o Counseling
o Rehab

7.  Diversion programs are often much more discrete than
incarceration
 Charges are often dismissed after completion, thus no
criminal records
 Rehabilitation is often associated with diversion programs
 Less likely to lose connection with friends and family
All resulting in a reduction of the label “criminal”

8.  Recidivism is reduced among individuals who participate
in diversion programs
 A study of over 13,000 offenders found that offenders who
participated in a diversion program rather than spent time
jail or prison were about 16% less likely to reoffend
0 20 40 60 80
Incarceration
Diversion Programs
Rates from 2007

9.  The label “criminal” can potentially deepen criminal
behavior or push offenders into a criminal career because
of the negative definition assumed by society
 The solution to this problem is to reduce the amount of
individuals who are labeled as criminals
 Diversion programs relieves an offender from the label of
criminal thus avoiding these negative effects and reducing
recidivism

10.  Allen, H. E., Latessa, E. J., & Ponder, B. S. (2013). Corrections in
America An Introduction. Upper Saddle River: Pearson
Education, Inc.
 Latessa, E. J. (2006). What Works in Reducing Recidivism?
University of St. Thomas Law Journal, 521-534.
 Lilly, J. R., Cullen, F. T., & Ball, R. A. (2011). Criminological Theory
Context and Consequences. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications, Inc.
 Ritzer, G. (2005). Encyclopedia of Social Theory. SAGE
Publications, Inc.