ABSTRACT
Social control theory arguably constitutes the most important theoretical framework in contemporary criminology for understanding the problems of crime and for developing new criminal justice policies. Initial research on social control theories focused largely on contrasting the effectiveness of direct versus indirect forms of control, particularly as these controls are embodied in the major social institutions of the family. Renewed efforts to rigorously study the effectiveness of direct controls revealed the conceptual inadequacies of existing theory. Beyond recognizing that control influences on delinquency may not be linear, recent research also indicates that the causal connection between parental control and delinquency may be bi-directional or reciprocal. Several current developmental theorists have argued that the impact of direct parental controls is time-dependent - that is, more important in particular age periods and less important in others. The most important recent trend has been the development of multilevel models or explanations of social control.
