Modern Control Theory and the Limits of Criminal Justice

Modern Control Theory and the Limits of the Criminal Justice develops and extends the theory of self control advanced in Gottfredson and Hirschi's classic work A General Theory of Crime. Since it was first published, their general theory has been among the most discussed and researched perspectives in criminology. This book critically reviews the evidence about the theory, contrasting it with alternative perspectives, and argues in favor of prevention efforts during early childhood to deal with the many problems facing the criminal justice system in America.


About the Author
Michael Gottfredson is Chancellors' Professor of Criminology Law and Society, Sociology, and Law at the University of California, Irvine. From 2000-2012 he served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost at UC Irvine and from 2012-14 as President of the University of Oregon. He has published extensively in criminology on the causes of crime and delinquency, criminal victimization, and the criminal justice process. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology and the Western Society of Criminology and the recipient of the Tappan award for criminological theory.

Travis Hirschi is Regents' Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, through 2018. He is the author of Causes of Delinquency, Delinquency Research (with Hanan Selvin), and A General Theory of Crime (with Michael Gottfredson). He has published extensively on the causes of crime, research methodology, and the corelates of crime and delinquency. He is a Past President and Fellow of the American Society of Criminology and the recipient of the Sutherland Award and the Stockholm Prize in criminology.