Faith-Based Approaches for Controlling the Delinquency of Juvenile Offenders

Social control theory is based upon the assumption that deviant or delinquent behavior is a natural, human tendency that is constrained by internal controls (morals and guilt) and external controls (social bonds, punishment, and laws) (Hirschi, 1969; Reckless, 1967). Respondents' perceptions regarding the most important aspects of faith-based pro gramming-the positive environment for social learning, the network of social support, and the pro-social standards of behavior to which youth could be exposed-were congruent with research findings suggesting that it is the mediating variables within a faith-based context, rather than the religious or spiritual aspects themselves, that reduce a youth's likelihood of delinquency.