Today's society is in an accelerated transition period, and various social problems emerge one after another. Behind these social problems, there are a group of people who have been labeled, and they have fallen into the quagmire of repeated crimes. Faced with this phenomenon, how to help them get rid of labels and return to society smoothly has become an urgent problem for social workers. Therefore, this paper focuses on how labeling theory can play a role in correcting social work and help people who have committed crimes get rid of labels and return to society.
Theoretically, through analysis and research, a set of practical methods for correcting social work is summarized, which injects a little new vitality into the theoretical system of correcting social work, enriches relevant theoretical research, and also provides some reference for social work research in other fields. In practical sense, it provides a novel practical working method for social workers who are active in the front line, so as to better help those in need, thus reducing the occurrence of social problems and promoting the harmonious development of society.
Second, the applicability analysis of labeling theory's intervention in correcting social work.
1) Correct the particularity of customers.
From the concept of corrective social work, we can know that corrective social work is a kind of service for the vulnerable groups in a special society, specifically a series of welfare services for criminals or criminals with criminal risks. Criminals or criminals with criminal risks have committed acts that affect social stability and harm public interests, so they are said to be infringers of social stability and public interests. These people commit illegal and criminal acts because their socialization process is not smooth, which leads to their weakened adaptability to social life. They can't get the necessary conditions for their survival through social recognition, so they are also said to be the weak in society. Especially when their behavior is recognized as illegal or criminal by the society and punished and sanctioned by the society, their social status will decline even more, and their behavior will be even more unacceptable to the public, thus facing an unfavorable situation of deviating from the mainstream of the whole society. Therefore, if they are not accepted by the society, these people will become more exclusive to the society and have more extreme thoughts, which may lead to a deeper crime abyss, thus forming a vicious crime cycle and affecting social stability. To some extent, they are also victims of criminal acts, so they can be said to be a special vulnerable group in society.
2) The negative impact of labels on customers
Just because a person has done many wrong things or even committed crimes does not mean that these people are born criminals. It is normal that many of them commit crimes because of impulse or confusion. However, in the social environment, through the wanton publicity and dissemination of the media, news and figures, the criminal acts of these people will be completely exposed to the public, and their bodies will be branded with crimes. In this case, they will be passively labeled as criminals by the public, and their behavior will be invisible and magnified by the ubiquitous attention of society, which will have a great impact on their future lives and thoughts. For example, they will be discriminated against and will not be hired because of their criminal experience in job hunting. On the other hand, after being labeled as a criminal, criminals can't be accepted and respected by society, their basic life can't be guaranteed, and their inner pressure can't be released. They will adapt to the unfavorable evaluation of society, re-examine, evaluate and measure their own values, and form a mentality of "breaking the jar and breaking it", which will continue to endanger society and even retaliate against the public. It can be seen that the negative impact of labels on criminals is enormous. In the corrective service, we should give full consideration to this situation, start with how to eliminate or reduce the negative impact of labels on the clients to the maximum extent, and formulate practical service plans for the clients to help them get rid of labels and be accepted by the society again.
3) "De-labeling" helps the parties return to society.
Labeling theory believes that an important task of social work is to restore those who were originally thought to have problems to "normal people" through a process of redefinition or calibration. Labeling theory has provided beneficial enlightenment for social work with his unique perspective, and has been widely used in social work practice, especially in the field of corrective social work. Labeling criminals can help them return to society better. How to help customers get rid of the label of crime is the focus of service activities and the key to the effective implementation and effectiveness of the whole service plan. In the first aspect, starting from the offender himself, to change his cognition of the label attached to himself, he must first label himself in order to obtain a good psychological state of actively adapting to the new social life; In the second aspect, starting from the social environment, we call on the society to understand criminals, give reformed criminals a chance, advocate people to abandon their prejudice and discriminatory views on criminals, and actively create an unlabeled socialized environment, thus reducing the obstacles for criminals to return to society. In the process of providing service activities, workers should always maintain respect and understanding for the corrected objects, let them feel accepted by themselves around them, actively guide them to return to society, encourage them to re-understand society, and encourage them to face a new life bravely.
Third, the concrete application of labeling theory in the practice of social work.
1) Contact customers and establish professional relations.
Correcting social workers is a very arduous and complicated task, and it is necessary to follow scientific procedures to carry out services. First of all, we need to get in touch with customers and understand the difficulties and problems faced by customers through various channels. Many parties are forced to accept their "abnormal" selves because they have lived in a labeled social environment for a long time, and they are even more reluctant to take the initiative to seek help. In this case, the staff should actively and sincerely contact customers. Then, based on a general understanding of the customer's basic situation, try to establish a business relationship with him. For example, Lao Li, a 40-year-old drug addict, took the initiative to enter the drug rehabilitation center. After returning to society, it is not accepted by community residents, and it is often avoided and discriminated by community residents. So he became depressed and self-destructive, and contracted toxic substances when he had no hope for life. After learning about this situation, the community correctional officers took the initiative to find Lao Li, sincerely and patiently understood Lao Li's living conditions and psychological state, and showed him the purpose, hoping to help him reintegrate into community life.
In the process of communication, the workers repeatedly mentioned to Lao Li that his predicament was because community residents labeled him as a "drug addict". To change this situation, we need to reshape ourselves and change people's stereotypes about ourselves. After many exchanges, Lao Li gradually developed trust in the reeducation-through-labor personnel and was willing to actively change himself through professional service activities with the help of the reeducation-through-labor personnel. Due to the particularity of social work itself and the object of correction, in the process of establishing professional relations, correction workers should always pay attention to their words and deeds, help eliminate the alert psychology of the clients, reduce the pressure brought by labeling on the clients, and create a label-free atmosphere for the clients. Staff should be customer-oriented, fully consider customers' needs and requirements, stand on the angle of respect, equality and voluntariness, let customers understand and gradually enter the role, and establish relations with customers with an equal and acceptable attitude.
2) Collection and analysis of calibration data
When the professional relationship between staff and clients is established, corrective social work has entered the stage of collecting and analyzing corrective data. In order to accurately grasp the needs and problems of the correction object and make the correction work targeted, it is necessary to collect the information of the correction object as comprehensively as possible. For Lao Li, information can be collected from three aspects, namely, personal information, environmental information and the interaction between individuals and the environment. First, collect Lao Li's personal basic information, such as age, economic base, personal life experience, personal detoxification experience, relevant social system, etc. , can help us understand Lao Li himself and his social relations. Then, understand the environmental aspects of Lao Li's life. The environmental level here refers to the important social system in which the parties are located, mainly including family, relatives, neighbors, friends, school, work and so on. When understanding these different systems, we should pay special attention to people who have important influence and relationship with the clients, because their existence and views on the clients are the basis of forming a labeling environment, and getting their support and help is of great positive significance to the development of rectification work. Finally, it is necessary to pay special attention to the physiological, psychological and emotional changes of the clients in the process of interacting with the environment, which is the key to analyze how the clients survive and change in the labeled environment.
After collecting a large number of information of corrected objects, it is necessary to sort out the collected information and make relevant analysis. The first is to sort out the data, review, review and classify the original data, so as to be systematic, standardized and orderly. After completing the above work, it is necessary to make further in-depth analysis of the data, which is not a question of determining the service object, but a benign feedback and cooperation with the data collection, so as to reorganize and reanalyze the collected data. By sorting out and analyzing the data, the staff formed a basic and systematic understanding of the correction object, so as to provide support for the later service work.
3) Research and identify customers.
Corrective social work is carried out on the basis of discussing the problems of the parties between the correctional workers and the parties. After collecting all kinds of data, the staff should study and analyze the data of the clients together with the clients, summarize and evaluate the existing problems of the clients, so as to guide the staff to design service plans and implement professional corrective services.
In order to extract the problems existing in the corrected object, we should consider what caused the life state of the corrected object and what prevented the corrected object from returning to society smoothly. First of all, starting from the individual of the correction object, due to the limitations of the correction object itself, there is deviation in personality and behavior, which leads to crime and social control and punishment. Their harmfulness to society makes them ostracized by society, and their basic life can not be guaranteed normally, and they are in a struggling situation. When Lao Li was young, he was lured by others because of his lack of value judgment, which seriously affected his life and social order. Secondly, due to the criminal behavior of the correction object, the society has branded it deeply, and the surrounding public has a rigid prejudice against it, labeling it as a "criminal", which is not respected and accepted in life and suffers from cynicism and discrimination everywhere.
Without effective help and guidance, the corrected object will have negative psychological changes and even distorted personality, and the behavior will deviate from normalization or out of control, thus forming recidivism. With the support of his family, Lao Li took the initiative to enter the local drug rehabilitation center. A year later, his drug addiction was curbed and he returned to society. In the process of job hunting, he was rejected many times because of his drug abuse experience. In this case, Lao Li gradually lost confidence in life and thought that he could no longer be accepted and recognized by others. When he was disheartened, he was contaminated with toxic substances. From the above, it can be concluded that the problem of the object of correction can basically be attributed to a series of bad behavior consequences caused by its own criminal experience and social public labels, and even a vicious circle of crime.
(4) Formulate rectification plans and provide professional services.
After clarifying the difficulties and problems encountered by the correction object, the correction social workers need to formulate corresponding correction plans to provide professional services for the correction object. Therefore, correction plan and service are the core work of correction social workers in the whole work process and play a key role in the development of correction social work. Generally speaking, the rectification plan consists of three parts, namely, the plan objective, the plan objective and the plan implementation strategy. For Lao Li, the goal of the plan is to help Lao Li get rid of the label and return to society. In addition to Lao Li himself, the target of the plan should also pay attention to his family, neighbors, friends and other related groups. They are the people that Lao Li contacts most in his daily life, so we should start from them to promote the support system. In the process of implementing the plan, we should not only achieve the goal, but also pay attention to the strategy of implementing the plan, how to help the corrected object effectively to the maximum extent, and the preventive measures for some emergencies in advance.
In view of the problems of correction objects, after making the correction plan, correction workers and correction objects need to put the correction plan into practice according to the prescribed objectives and measures, provide professional services for the correction objects, and really help them improve their own situation, remove labels and return to society. In the process of service, we can start from both direct and indirect aspects. The corrected individual faces the dilemma of being rejected and discriminated by the public, and there are many puzzles in social adaptation, behavior and interpersonal communication. Workers should help the correction object face up to their own problems, help them analyze their own reasons, have a clear understanding of their own labels, and at the same time pay attention to enhancing their self-confidence and take a positive and optimistic attitude towards changing their current situation. It is an important step to change your perception of labels. Only when a person faces his past and the public's eyes calmly can he welcome a new life with a good attitude. The prison staff had in-depth communication with Lao Li and formulated a service assistance plan. Obviously, the first step of the plan is to change Lao Li's understanding of himself, let him label himself and re-establish his confidence in life. Through labeling theory's study, Lao Li gradually realized that the initiative to get rid of his own label was in his own hands. With the help of confidence-building training and emotional training, he accepted his past self, strengthened his self-confidence, and began to go out of the house and actively integrate into community life.
Indirectly, it refers to the actions taken by other systems besides the correction object, including the family, community and social environment of the correction object. Helping the corrected object to change itself is the key to the whole service, and changing the environment around the corrected object is the guarantee to optimize the service result. Living in an unlabeled social environment plays an extremely important role in promoting the correction object to adapt to and return to society better and faster, which requires the workers to actively establish contact with the groups around the correction object and obtain their support. In the work, we should focus on advocating changing the public's views on labels, giving people with labels a chance to turn over a new leaf, supporting and encouraging them to get out of the shadows and reintegrate into social life. The public's acceptance and help to the parties and their return to society not only helped the parties themselves, but also promoted the safety of other social members and maintained the harmony and stability of the whole society. The prison staff came to Lao Li's community and took the initiative to visit residents door to door to show them Lao Li's repentance, hoping to get their understanding and support. In addition, cultural exhibitions and publicity on how to help drug addicts return to society are held in the community, and various related activities are held to change residents' understanding of drug addicts and create an unlabeled community environment. After long-term efforts, Lao Li has been able to get along well with the residents of the community.
5) Corrective evaluation and case closing
Correction evaluation is a process of overall evaluation and reflection on correction work after the implementation of correction plan. Through correction evaluation, correction social workers should not only think about the process and effect of correction, but also make corresponding follow-up plans for the future of correction work. After a period of correction service, whether the program achieves the expected goal and whether the psychology and behavior of the corrected object have been changed benign needs a comprehensive evaluation by the workers. Through the evaluation, the staff can find the problems in time, grasp the implementation of the whole correction process and seek the future direction of correction work. After Lao Li reintegrates into the community life, workers need to evaluate the service activities and achievements at this stage. First of all, the workers made an evaluation, and the plan made for Lao Li was successfully implemented, achieving the set goals, effectively improving Lao Li's predicament and changing the attitude of community members towards Lao Li. Secondly, through Lao Li's own evaluation, Lao Li's emotions and pressures have been released, rekindled his hope for life, and he can actively communicate with community members. Finally, evaluate Lao Li's family, friends and community members. Through the understanding of the workers, family members and friends felt the change of Lao Li and expressed their support for Lao Li's detoxification. Community members began to change their labeling views on Lao Li, willing to help him in his later years and accept him back to the community.
Through the evaluation of service work, the problem of the service object can be effectively solved, and the worker can end the professional relationship with the service object. In addition, the staff need to be prepared for the follow-up service, deal with and deal with the situation of the parties after ending their professional relationship to a certain extent, and completely solve the problems of the parties. After his professional service, Old Li Can basically readjusted to community life. In this case, the worker and Lao Li successfully closed the case. In the follow-up process, the workers helped Lao Li to find a job, solve the problem of living sources, and help Lao Li cope with emotions, pressures and contradictions with community residents. Finally, Lao Li successfully integrated into community life.
Fourthly, labeling theory should pay attention to the problems in the process of intervening and correcting social work practice.
1) Pay attention to the living environment specifically marked by the correction object.
People who are labeled will have different views on him from normal people, which will be an invisible harm to punish people who are psychologically sensitive. It is easy to strengthen criminals' recognition of their own bad values, and it is easy to force criminals to associate with other criminals and often do what they think is in line with their identity. Under the traditional concept of revenge in China's criminal law, criminals are often labeled by the public at the moment they accept the punishment, and this label conveys the idea of evil, degeneration and violence. Many people commit crimes, not because they don't want to correct them, but because they lose the courage to correct them in a labeled social environment. The different views of the public will make them doubt themselves, bear great pressure in their future lives and fall into infinite struggle. They are very helpless and disappointed in life, but they can't get understanding and help. They are a group of people abandoned by the mainstream of society. People and the environment interact, people can influence the environment, and the environment can also change people. Similarly, a person's crime will affect the surrounding social environment, and the improvement of the social environment can also help these criminals to adapt to life again. Therefore, in the process of providing services, correctional social workers should pay special attention to the labeled social environment in which the correctional object is located, especially the social groups such as family, friends and neighbors who have more contact with the correctional object, and advocate them to establish a support system that will help the correctional object return to society.
2) Pay attention to the reference and comprehensive application with other theories.
According to previous research, labeling theory has a unique role in the application of social work of correction, which can effectively help the corrected object get rid of the label and return to society smoothly. However, in a large number of corrective service activities, it is far from enough to rely on the support of one theory, and it is also imperfect in many aspects. Therefore, workers need to break the limitation of thinking, widely absorb and learn from the advantages of other theories, and better serve the corrected object. With different theories, the service activities for the corrected object are also focused, which will inevitably lead to the omission or repetition of problems, thus leading to unreasonable distribution and even waste of human and material resources. For example, integrating the main points of the dominant perspective theory can help the corrected object explore its own advantages and potentials, help it get out of the predicament and enhance its confidence in self-change; Under the guidance of cognitive behavioral therapy theory, correct the unreasonable beliefs of the corrected object in self-labeling, and strengthen self-control and self-management; Introduce the theory of social network intervention, establish a social support network, and call on the public to act together to support and help the corrected object. In the process of carrying out the work, we should make a comprehensive plan, at the same time consider the corrected object from various theoretical angles, and really put ourselves in the position of understanding and respecting the corrected object. This can not only promote the smooth development of the work, but also feed back the problems and shortcomings of different theories to workers in time, so as to further integrate and improve the theories.
Verb (abbreviation of verb) conclusion
With the acceleration of social change, more and more criminal acts such as drug abuse are exposed to the public, and criminals, as marginal groups of society, are discriminated against, neglected and kept away. In this context, social work gradually developed in China with its professional method of helping others, and began to pay attention to criminals and help them. Labeling theory has provided beneficial enlightenment for social work with his unique perspective, and has been widely used in social work practice, especially in the field of corrective social work. Labeling a person who has committed a crime can make them better return to society. Through research, it is found that most scholars seldom set foot in labeling theory's applied research on social work. Although there are some disputes about community correction, it is only limited to the theoretical level. Therefore, with the attitude of exploration and perfection, the author boldly tries to study the application of labeling theory in correcting social work from two aspects: one is to label himself from the offender himself; Secondly, starting from the social environment, create an unlabeled socialized environment.
Due to the particularity of correction target group and the limitation of modern social work in practice, labeling theory's actual operation in correction work is not mature. This paper is based on an idealized state, hoping to provide reference methods for the majority of frontline social workers. At the same time, it is inevitable that there are some inadequacies or deficiencies, which need to be verified and improved slowly in the future practice and exploration. With the in-depth development and continuous improvement of correctional social work, there will be more and more research in this field, thus guiding the majority of frontline social workers to better help the correctional objects return to society, which will ultimately greatly promote the harmonious development of society.