The labeling theory of juvenile delinquency deals with the effects of labeling on a juvenile behavior. Labels can be applied formally in courts and correction facilities or informally among peers. Frank Tennenbaum called this social labeling the dramatization of evil as it transforms the offender’s identity from the doer of evil to an evil person. Treatment-oriented reformers have been concerned with the potentially harmful effects upon individuals of arrest, court appearance and incarceration.
Once a person has been labeled a deviant or a delinquent, it is extremely hard to change that label. This result to self-rejection due to the self-fulfilling prophecies by believing in the labels assigned to them. It weakens the commitment to conventional values and leads to acquisition of motives to deviate from social norms. This troubled youth forms bonds with like-minded delinquents and eventually pulls away from the society. The juvenile eventually believes that he is a bad person and ends up living a deviant lifestyle.
Family-focused programs such as guidance and counseling is required to prevent delinquency. Such includes crackdown on parents who commit crime, positive discipline methods, among others. These, not only decreases risk factors but also helps prevent family malfunctions that may have a negative effect on the juvenile. The government can create delinquency prevention-treatment projects that enable the youths to relate to their environments such as guidance and counseling programs, which help them, recover their self-esteem. More so, the government should deal with first offenders separately such as not being placed in the same confinement area with recurrent offenders. The juvenile should engage in self-rediscovering activities such as keeping themselves busy, developing self-awareness and respect. This will eventually boost their esteem.
In conclusion, it is the role of the society to help protect and prevent the occurrence of the negative effects juvenile system impacts on the youths. Most importantly, the society should avoid stigmatization of these delinquents by reintegrating them.
Reference
Siegel, L. (2009). Introduction to Criminal Justice. New York: Cengage Learning.
