ABSTRACT
Classical control theories argue that people must either be controlled by society to not commit crime or learn internal control to be able to regulate themselves throughout their daily lives. While social control theories enjoyed attention prior to the 1970s, especially in the 1950s when control theories were being developed and messaged by sociologists and criminologists, it was Travis Hirschi who was responsible for promoting the perspective in criminology. Social disorganization theories and even those of strain and social learning assume that crime and criminals are in urban areas, in close proximity to one another. Social bonding/social control and self-control theories have received a considerable amount of empirical support across the past half-century or more. Social control theories assume that the motivations for crime are everywhere and that everyone is predisposed to act antisocially if it is in their best interest.
