LABELING THEORY SPECIFIES THE CAUSE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANY DEVIANT CAREERS AS THOSE WHO DEFINE DEVIANCE, ESPECIALLY SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS THAT DEFINE AND ENFORCE DOMINANT SOCIAL NORMS. DRUG USERS AND DRUG SUBCULTURES GROW PARTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL DRUG LAWS AND THE SOCIAL, MORAL, AND BUREAUCRATIC MACHINERY SO ACTIVATED. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT WHATEVER MAY INITIALLY LEAD TO DEVIANT BEHAVIOR IS OF LESS SIGNIFICANCE IN PERPETUATING SUCH CONDUCT THAN SOCIETAL REACTIONS AND THE CYCLE OF PROCESSES INITIATED BY THESE REACTIONS. EMPIRICAL TESTS OF LABELING THEORY IN THE FIELD OF DELINQUENCY ARE RELATIVELY SCARCE. A PARADIGM IS PROPOSED FOR APPLICATION TO DELINQUENCY AND DIVERSION TO FACILITATE THE INVESTIGATION OF ALTERNATIVE CAUSAL HYPOTHESES AND PROPOSITIONS CONCERNING SOCIETAL REACTIONS AND THE SPECIFICATION OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO LABELING PROCESSES. NO ATTEMPT IS MADE TO SUPPORT OR DENY THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY CHANGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEVIANT CAREERS OR TO DEMONSTRATE THE SUPERIORITY OF A LABELING APPROACH OVER A DETERRENCE APPROACH. THE HORIZONTAL DIMENSION OF THE PARADIGM EXPRESSES THE MAJOR CAUSAL SEQUENCE PRESUMED TO LEAD FROM POLICE DISPOSITION FOLLOWING ARREST TO BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. THE VERTICAL DIMENSION INDICATES MAJOR VARIABLES INFLUENCING OR CONTRIBUTING TO LEVELS OF LABEL ENCAPSULATION AND LABEL ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION. THE PARADIGM HAS BEEN CREATED TO ORGANIZE CERTAIN MODES OF EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS AS THEY RELATE TO PROPOSITIONS ATTRIBUTED TO LABELING THEORY BY CRITICS AND PROPONENTS. SUCH MODES INCLUDE DISPOSITION EFFECTS ON PROCESS, DISPOSITION EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR, PROCESS VARIABLE EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR, VERTICAL ANALYSIS, AND LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS. (DEP)