ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that there are a variety of reasons to explain this and will use new counter-theories such as de-labelling, deviancy attenuation and immoral phlegmatism as the lenses through which to explore these events. It begins with moral panics, deviancy amplification and labelling, the theories these counter-theories are built upon, before using the example of benefits fraud in the UK, which, it is argued, fits with many of these well-established theories. The chapter explores moral panics, before moving on to examine deviancy and the concept of deviancy amplification. It develops the counter-theories that are the antithesis to labelling, moral panics and deviancy amplification. The section ends by using the financial crisis of 2008 and the build-up and response to it, to illustrate these theories. The chapter also explores these counter-theories by considering the financial crisis of 2008. It describes the criminological theories of labelling, moral panics and deviancy amplification, upon which the counter-theories introduced are based.
