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CCJ 1010 – CRIMINOLOGY
Chapter 7
Social Control Theory
Social Control Theory
 Social Control Theory focuses on techniques and strategies that regulate human
behavior and lead to conformity, or obedience to society’s rules—the influences
of family and school, religious beliefs, moral values, friends, and even beliefs
regarding government.
Social Control Example
 20 years ago, there were no legal restrictions, norms, or customs regulating
smoking in public places.
 Today, 27 states + DC have banned smoking in all public places.
What relationships in your life have helped keep you on track?
Or not so much…
Forms of Social Control
 Laws
 Norms
 Customs
 Mores
 Ethics
 Etiquette
Theories of Social Control
Macrosociological Studies
 Explore the legal system, particularly law enforcement
 Powerful groups
 Social and economic directives of government
Microsociological Studies
 Focus on informal systems
 Data based on individuals
 Examines a person’s internal control system
Travis Hirschi
Social Bonds
 Attachment: to parents, teachers, peers
 Commitment: to conventional lines of action
 Involvement: with activities that promote the interests of society
 Belief: consists of assent to the society’s value system
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David Matza (1960s)
Delinquency and Drift
Techniques of neutralization:
1.Denial of Responsibility
2.Denial of Injury
3.Denial of the Victim
4.Condemnation of the Condemner
5.Appeal to Higher Loyalties
Albert J. Reiss
Delinquency is the result of
(1) a failure to internalize socially accepted and prescribed norms of behavior;
(2) a breakdown of internal controls; and
(3) a lack of social rules that prescribe behavior in the family, the school, and other
important social groups.
Jackson Toby
“Stakes in Conformity”
 Believed that all could be tempted into delinquency, but most refused
because they considered that they had too much to lose
 Complementary role of neighborhood and social disorganization
 Individual’s own stake in conformity
 In slums, both community and family are powerless to control members’
behavior
 Toby continued
 Believed social disorganization theory does not explain why only a few
among so many slum youths actually commit crimes
 Does not explain why one particular individual becomes a hoodlum while
another does not
 Only explains why one neighborhood has a much higher crime rate than
another
Walter Reckless
Containment Theory
Containment Theory assumes that for every individual there exists a containing
external structure and a protective internal structure, both of which provide
defense, protection, or insulation against delinquency.
Walter Reckless
Outer Containment
 A role that provides a guide for a person’s activities
 A set of reasonable limits and responsibilities
 An opportunity for the individual to achieve status
 Cohesion among members of a group, including joint activity and togetherness
 A sense of belongingness (identification with the group)
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Walter Reckless
Outer Containment Continued
 Identification with one or more persons within the group
 Provisions for supplying alternative ways and means of satisfaction (when one
or more ways are closed)
Walter Reckless
Inner Containment
 A good self-concept
 Self-control
 A strong ego
 A well-developed conscience
 A high frustration tolerance
 A high sense of responsibility
General Theory of Crime
Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson
 Designed to explain an individual’s propensity to commit crime
 Assumes that the offenders have little control over their own behavior and
desires
 Crime is a function of poor self-control
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