Essay On Marked Categories

Wayne Brekhus, of Rutgers University, explains the differences between unmarked and marked categories in his articles, Redirecting Our Focus and the Social Marking and Mental Coloring of Identity. My focus is drawn to criminal identity. The marked category would be people who identify as criminal and the unmarked category would be people who are not criminals. The marked category is comprised of people who are deviant and stand out. The unmarked category is made up of everyone else, people who are not out of the ordinary. Criminal identities can be seen through the trinary model. The trinary model begins with the marked, the preserved identities, then the unmarked, the generic identities, and the marked again with exceptional identities. This can be broken down into other categories of saints, average, and sinners. The marked category will also …show more content…
For someone with a criminal identity as a lifestyle, these are the types of people who live in more poor communities or typically in jail. This marked category is comprised of settings of lower class neighborhoods when dealing with certain crimes of property, robbery, murder, or manslaughter. For a lifestyler with a criminal identity who commits white-collar crimes would likely be someone wealthy, with a good job, living in a good community. Settings can vary depending on the serious crime being committed. For someone who is a commuter with a criminal identity, they would commit deviant acts by stealing something small at a young age. Another setting could be driving around, running a red light, or stopping after the stop sign. These acts are against the law, but it is not a serious offense. Integrators will make sure to stop at stop signs appropriately, slow down at yellow lights, and do not drive past curfew. An example could be for integrator’s that they are a designated driver and they are responsible for other people in the