Theories of intergenerational transmission suggest two reasons that volunteering runs in families. Parents who volunteer pass on social resources needed to volunteer, and of course that a parent is seen as a role model. Labeling theories suggest that children with parents who are convicted have a higher risk of being offenders themselves. By using these theories it is said to help better understand the knowledge, origin, and development of criminal behavior which is vital in preventing intergenerational transmission of criminal behavior. By learning more about the combination the labeling theory basically suggest that negative reactions from society leads to negative self conceptions, and leads to more negative involvement.
There are formal and informal labeling, informal labels are obtained from having contact with social control agencies, and informal labels generally come from peers, teachers, and parents. Through the labeling theory it is suggests that interventions heightens bad behavior, and puts children with parents that are offenders in a much higher risks of being offenders themselves. A study by Bessemer on labeling effects were tested by examining the impact of a conviction between ages “ 19–26 on self-reported offending behavior, and between 27–32 while controlling for self-reported behavior between 15–18. Results showed that a conviction predicted someone’s later self-reported offending behavior, even when previous offending behavior was taken into account.”(Mullins)
This study chose many different angles to examine information and also looked at whether a parent being a convict is associated with the risk of their children being offenders, and when looked at most of the children with parents in the system were looked at with the disadvantage of becoming offenders in most of the people that were asked opinions and when added to labeling it singled those children out and made them the most possible because of the parental association supporting of cumulative disadvantage. By already convicting those who may have a chance at not becoming convicted offenders, because the notion that they will follow in their parents footsteps is not completely a good way of looking at things there are many instances where children do the opposite of what their parents have done for self justification, and instances of children of officials and non criminal parents that are the plague of society feeling that because their parents are “somebody” that they are above the law.
Anti-social and criminal parents have shown to have a lot of influence on the family dynamics, and parents with no history in studies show a lack of bad influence, yet this knowledge is particularly important because the governmental use of labeling basically shows that governmental policies may strengthen or support criminal behavior. These theories really just label people it is still unclear why these events happen within anyone. By labeling it further pushes prejudice into the eyes of those trying to determine truth. Yes children take after parents, but a different approach when considering these children should not be guilty unless found to be not guilty which is what labeling does. Location, crime, family history, upbringing,many things fit into the criteria of way a person could and would commit a crime. Labeling focuses on individuals or groups of individuals who would be prone to a criminal lifestyle. A person can do one of two things view themselves as a criminal or view themselves as a law abiding citizen, once they determine if they are a criminal they take out these acts which is still very puzzling part because that goes against he theory. Seemingly the only people who rationalize a criminal act as something as a necessity or as it is needed to survive should really be looked at in this way, and after mental and physical evaluation these things should be discovered.
Many of the young individuals do have some sort of effect from having a parent(s) that are convicts, they are left in the world to sometime fend for themselves more habilitation for the children of convicts needs to take place. Many of these children follow in the actions of parents because they are left with elderly grandparents, people, or conditions that do not allow them to do anything other than follow the path they know and have seen their parents take. The theory is contradictory
Mustillo, S., Wilson, J., & Lynch, S. M. (2004). Legacy Volunteering: A Test of Two Theories of Intergenerational Transmission. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66(2), 530-541. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00036.x
Besemer, S., Farrington, D. P., & Bijleveld, C. C. (2017). Labeling and intergenerational transmission of crime: The interaction between criminal justice intervention and a convicted parent. Plos One, 12(3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172419