Labeling theory is one of the anti-positivist approaches that became prevalent in the 1960s, through the two eminent sociologists Howard S Becker and Edwin Lemert, for whom they became later known as labeling theorists. These theorists oppose any previous sociological ideas of deviance and argue that deviance is not produced by tensions in the social structure or bad neighborhoods, but that people break the law because they choose to do so through their own free choice. Want. This idea was first put forward by David Matza in his book On Becoming Deviant, but was pushed further by Becker and Lemert when they drew attention to the agents of social control who are the people who define who is deviant in our society and those who are not. . These labeling theorists also examined how the criminal justice system (CJS) and its agents, such as police officers, judicial officials, and judges themselves, define and construct crime and delinquency. Finally, labeling theory states that deviance is not a quality of act that violates social rules since no act is naturally deviant, rather deviance is the result of a symbolic negotiation between rule breakers and social control agents . This essay will summarize and evaluate labeling theory as it applies to the analysis of crime and criminal justice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayOne of the factors of labeling theory is interactive processes, these conceptualize how labeling processes create deviance. These processes include stigmatization, master status, self-fulfilling prophecy, and professional deviance. Stigmatization occurs when rule breakers are publicly identified and labeled by the public as deviant, however if we are publicly labeled by the state as deviant, society only perceives us as having the properties of the negative label rather than the other identities or statues that define us as parents or professional workers, through this stigmatism we cease to have a variety of identities and are seen simply as criminally insane thugs and criminals. The main status concept revolves around people who have been negatively labeled to begin to see themselves in terms of that stigmatizing label, which may cause the "deviant" to accept this negative label and who may become, as a result, a control identity. this could lead to worse deviant behaviors. Third, by having this label we may be ostracized by our friends, family or colleagues, which, according to Becker, will likely lead us towards further deviance as we alienate ourselves from society, this is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. An example of this ostracism might be that someone who has been convicted of drug dealing might be forced to return to his old habits due to a lack of work that can pay the bills. Finally comes this idea of ​​professional deviance where the deviant is forced to pursue a career that is seen by society as deviant because it forces him to be in the company of other outsiders. As a consequence of these four factors, the labeling process has transformed the occasional transgressor into a full-fledged criminal. One way this has been shown to be in practice in society is through Jock Young's study which was a study of hippies using marijuana in Notting Hill, it was found that the police.