Most theories that attempt to discover the cause of crime focus on the individual or societal factors that influence them to commit crime. However, social control theories focus on the question “Why don’t people commit crime?” Since the majority of society does not commit crimes, social control theories try to discover the reason people do not commit crime instead of trying to figure out why they do (figure 7.2). The notion of social control relates to formal or informal factors and relationships that keep people within certain bounds of what is socially acceptable because they do not want to harm those relationships. Social control theories focus on those factors and relationships.

Containment Theory

Criminologist Walter Reckless (1961) believed that crime was the consequence of peer pressure and the inability to resist. This is especially true when looking at juvenile delinquency. He argued that social pressure to involve oneself in violations of the law, as well as a failure to resist such pressure, is the basis for criminal behavior. When Reckless looked at criminality, he compared it to a biological immune response, saying that not everyone who is exposed to a disease contracts it. In other words, not everyone caves to peer pressure. Sickness, like crime, results from a failure of control forces that can be either internal or external. He called his approach containment theory.

According to Reckless, the inner control system (inner containment) consists of attributes like self-control, a positive self-image, good judgment abilities, resistance to frustration, and responsibility. These internal factors contain someone and prevent them from committing crime. In contrast, the outer control system (outer containment) consists of environmental buffers against criminal behavior, such as effective parental supervision or discipline, the opportunity to feel like you belong, and reinforcement of your goals. These external factors contain someone and prevent them from committing crime.

Containment theory posits that these control systems need to be strong enough to resist “pushes” and “pulls.” Pushes are internal factors that push someone toward criminality, like feelings of inferiority, frustration, or rebellion. These feelings can push someone to seek out deviant peer groups, especially if they lack a strong inner control system. External factors, such as poverty, are considered pulls that pull individuals toward criminality. For example, a child who lives in a very impoverished neighborhood that is riddled with illicit substances and gang activity would experience a lot of pulls toward delinquent behavior. Containment theory assumes that criminal behavior can be contained only when the inner and outer control systems are balanced.

Social Control Theory

Sociologist Travis Hirschi (1969) argued that human beings are similar to animals in that we sometimes fight and steal, while at other times we are pleasant and cooperative. This aggression and impulsivity do not require explanation, as these traits are simply a part of our nature. What requires explanation is why people do not engage in more of this type of behavior as it is the easiest way to satisfy our desires (Ashley, 2023). He claimed that strong prosocial bonds between individuals and social groups limit criminal behavior. He called this social control theory, or social bond theory, and said that when someone’s bond with conventional society is weakened or broken, that person is free to engage in deviant or criminal behavior.

According to Hirschi, there are four components of the social bond: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. Attachment is how much someone cares about their family, friends, employer, coworkers, and community and what those people think of the person and their behavior. Commitment is about someone’s personal or career goals and how committed they are to achieving them. Involvement is about how much someone is engaged in work or other activities and what consumes their time. Belief refers to the amount someone agrees with the norms, values, rules, and laws to which they are subject or to which they are expected to conform.

For example, a teenager may be tempted to steal alcohol with their friends from a convenience store. However, they fear getting caught because they do not want their parents to be disappointed in them (attachment), a criminal record would make them ineligible for the scholarship they are working toward (commitment), they have to babysit their little brother in the morning so they don’t want to be out late anyway (involvement), and they don’t think it is right to steal or to drink (belief). For all of these reasons, they decide to go home before their friends go to the store so they will not be involved in a crime.

General Theory of Crime

Why, if someone has all the social components of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief, would they still commit a crime? Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson (1990) proposed a general theory of crime that looks at the connection between self-control and crime. Gottfredson and Hirschi claimed their theory could explain all crime by all people. They argued that lack of self-control was the primary cause of criminal behaviors. They claim most ordinary crimes require few skills to commit and have an immediate payoff. There is no long-term planning or goal; crimes are committed for immediate pleasure. Moreover, they claim, people who commit these ordinary crimes tend to be impulsive, insensitive to the suffering of others, short-sighted, and adventurous. If true, these traits (low self-control) were established before the person started committing crimes and will continue to manifest throughout that person’s life.

Hirschi and Gottfredson argued a well-developed social bond will result in the creation of effective mechanisms of self-control, or being able to weigh the options and consequences to make the decision to resist temptation. The root cause of low self-control, they claim, is ineffective parenting. If parents are not attached to their child and do not supervise their child, recognize their child’s deviant behaviors, or discipline their child, the child will develop low self-control. Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) claim self-control, or the lack thereof, is established by 8 years old.

These control theories all share common themes about weakened or broken bonds to society. Inadequate socialization by parents, teachers, friends, and society at large contribute to these severed bonds. Without strong bonds to conventional societal institutions like family, school, religion, and work individuals are free to commit crime because their selfish ways are no longer being controlled through their associations (figure 7.3).

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Licenses and Attributions for Why Don’t People Commit Crime?

Open Content, Original

“Why Don’t People Commit Crime?” by Jessica René Peterson and Curt Sobolewski is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Figure 7.3. “How Control Theories Explain Crime” by Jessica René Peterson is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

“Why Don’t People Commit Crime? Question Set” was created by ChatGPT and is not subject to copyright. Edits for relevance, alignment, and meaningful answer feedback by Colleen Sanders are licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Open Content, Shared Previously

“General Theory of Crime” adapted from “Control Theories,” Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System by Brian Fedorek, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Modifications by Jessica René Peterson, licensed under CC BY 4.0, include expanding and rewriting.

Figure 7.2. Image by Marta Wave is licensed under the Pexels License.