Howard Becker, one of the most well-known labeling theorists, believed deviance was a social construct that established the rules that were applied to specific people so they could be labeled as outsiders.
In this theory, crime arises as people in power label some behaviors as unlawful. And people who engage in those behaviors, and became labeled as deviants, eventually internalize that label and become even more attached to the behavior deemed as deviant. Maybe, if they got a chance to be treated as people regardless of their crimes, they could be able to refrain from behaviors considered deviant.
