Labeling, Deterrence, and Recidivism: A Study of Police Dispositions of Juvenile Offenders

Police departments with high rates of juvenile diversion did not yield different recidivism rates than those with low diversion rates unless comparisons were made between first offenders and multiple offenders. Then, the two sets of departments differed substantially: high diversion departments had lower subsequent recidivism rates for first offenders than for multiple offenders, while low diversion departments did not exhibit such differences. The emergence of differences in multiple but not in simple recidivism and among high diversion but not among low diversion departments tentatively supports both labeling theory and a deterrence approach in interaction with departmental and offender variables. There is also a suggestion that the effects of delinquent stigmatization are cumulative with each arrest, supporting Lemert's secondary deviance conception, at least among first offenders in high diversion departments.