Final answer:
Labeling theory explains repeated criminal behavior by suggesting an individual internalizes society's deviant label, possibly leading to a continuation of this behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
Labeling theory in criminology is concerned with how the self-identity and behavior of individuals may be influenced or determined by the terms used to describe or classify them. It is part of the interactionist perspective in sociological theory. In the context of a convicted sexual offender being released on parole and then arrested again for similar crimes, we can analyze this scenario using the options given:
- The offender has been labeled deviant by society and has accepted a new master status.
- The offender has returned to their old neighborhood and so reestablished their former habits.
- The offender has lost the social bonds they made in prison and feels disconnected from society.
- The offender is poor and responding to the different cultural values that exist in their community.
Labeling theory would explain this by suggesting that the individual has been labeled as deviant, which has led to internalizing this label as their master status. This internalization might make them more likely to continue engaging in the behavior that society expects from them.