The Effects of Legal Processing on Delinquent Orientations

Abstract

Labelling theorists have long argued that deviant careers and commitments are developed in the process of interaction between individuals and social control agents. A critical issue in this process concerns the effect of official labelling on an individual's subsequent orientation toward delinquency. This study attempts to explicate this process by exploring a number of variables which may intervene in this interaction. Our findings indicate that over a four year period, youth with police contact(s) show a significant increase in delinquent orientations compared with their peers who had no such contact. Such factors as the delinquency level of one's peer group and actual involvement in delinquent behavior as reported by the subjects do not appear to be as important as police contact in explaining the increased orientation toward delinquency. The data also suggest that certain sub-groups (white males, in particular) are more susceptible to the effects of labelling than others.