Perceptions of Stigma following Public Intervention for Delinquent Behavior

Abstract

The labelling hypothesis maintains that being publicly identified as deviant results in a “spoiled” public identity. It contends that being labelled “deviant” results in a degree of social liability (i.e., exclusion from participation in certain conventional groups or activities) which would not occur if the deviance were not made a matter of public knowledge. It further suggests that the social liability incurred by being labelled “deviant” has the ultimate effect of reinforcing the deviance. This study examines the extent to which delinquent boys perceive having incurred any social liability as a consequence of public intervention. The data indicate that only a very small proportion of the boys interviewed felt seriously handicapped by their encounter with the police or juvenile court. The subjects did not perceive any substantial change in interpersonal relationships with family, friends, or teachers. Greatest social liability was perceived in those situations of an impersonal nature in which one's character tends to be inferred from public documents like court or police records rather than through personal acquaintance with the person.