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Exploring the Labeling Theory of Deviance in Barbados: How Youths' Perceptions of the 'Deviant' Label Is Not Accepted

Exploring the Labeling Theory of Deviance in Barbados: How Youths' Perceptions of the 'Deviant' Label Is Not Accepted
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Author(s): Nicole Branch-Ellis (Bowie State University, USA)
Copyright: 2026
Pages: 34
Source title: Juvenile Justice in African and Western Criminal Justice Systems
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Simeon Peter Sungi (United States International University-Africa, Kenya)and Henry K. Murigi (Pan-African Christian University, Kenya)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-9343-4.ch007

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Abstract

This chapter presents findings from a study exploring the extent to which formal interactions with social control agents may propel youth toward delinquent self-perceptions. Using the West Indian island of Barbados as a case study, this research examined the juvenile justice system and juveniles perception of their experiences with the law. This research investigated how youths' exposure to arrest and incarceration affected the likelihood that the juveniles would label themselves negatively, assessed the importance of perceived negative labeling on delinquency, and examined the impact of detention on youths' perceptions of their future possibilities. Findings show that being publicly branded as a deviant does not equate to the acceptance of a deviant label. This research shows that labeling was less likely to be internalized based on the juvenile's social environment; personal, family, and peer history with the law; view of the offenses; personal characteristics and strength; and the practices of social control agents that may acts as a buffer to accepting a deviant label.

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