Background, Criminal Event, and Victim
The criminal created as part of this task is John Smith. He is 17 years old, cisgender, male, school-level education (unfinished), White, European American. Comes from a single-parent home (mother). Not religious. Sexual preferences: Heterosexual. Relationship status: Single. Is part of a gang and are friends with some of the gang members. Social status: Delinquent, poor. No previous employment history, no criminal activities history, no other outstanding social or physical characteristics. Has been caught while shoplifting, trying to steal several smartphones from an electronics shop in New York, on November 20, 2020. He attempted to remove the alarm clasps from the phone boxes and hide the merchandise in his backpack. Triggered the alarm and tried to run with the goods, was apprehended by the employees of the electronics store. There were no victims, although the shop’s merchandise suffered damage during the attempt and later apprehension of the criminal.
Perceptions from the Justice System
From the perspective of the justice system, John Smith is a juvenile delinquent, as he did not achieve the age of 18, which is required to be held responsible as an adult. As such, his actions are interpreted not as examples of internalized criminal intent but rather as something brought from the outside that pushed the young man to the crime, be that poor influence of his peers, lack of parental supervision and effort to raise a child, poverty, and other external reasons outside of his control (Lofstrom & Rafael, 2016). At the same time, the justice system recognizes the potential for change and rehabilitation, thus limiting the influence on criminal behavior to preventative (fines, restitution), and restorative (counseling) contributions (Lofstrom & Rafael, 2016).
Society
The society interprets John’s activities with a mix of opinions, with some attributing his crime to externalized factors similar to how the justice system does it, pointing out that poverty, poor education, being raised by a single parent, and negative influences of peers (gang members) have likely pushed John Smith to commit a crime, either on a dare or to acquire money (Lofstrom & Rafael, 2016). Others may interpret his actions from an internalized perspective, with him being a “bad seed” from the beginning, thus putting all of the blame on the criminal in question. Society has an encouraging contribution to crime, starting with the poor social support of single-parent homes and ending with social stigmatizing of individuals labeled as juvenile delinquents by the society, resulting in their greater isolation and a propensity to commit other crimes (Lofstrom & Rafael, 2016).
Labeling Theory Perspective
From the perspective of the labeling theory of crime, individuals perceived and treated as criminals will change their behavioral patterns to adapt to the expectations society has of them (Salahub et al., 2018). John Smith has been perceived as a delinquent due to his association with an adolescent gang, amplified by his social and economic status (Salahub et al., 2018). This resulted in him focusing exclusively on the group he was friends with, adopting their patterns while further conforming to the label society placed on him (Salahub et al., 2018). Shunning from any potential workplaces due to age and “reputation” resulted in the inability to find a summer job or any other source of income to assist his family. Internal and external motivations associated with the label have pushed John to commit a crime of theft, further cementing other peoples’ perception of him as a troubled youth and a juvenile delinquent (Salahub et al., 2018).
References
Lofstrom, M., & Raphael, S. (2016). Crime, the criminal justice system, and socioeconomic inequality. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(2), 103-126.
Salahub, J. E., Gottsbacher, M., & De Boer, J. (Eds.). (2018). Social theories of urban violence in the global South: towards safe and inclusive cities. Routledge.