Walter C. Reckless formally conceived of containment theory in the early 1960s. Containment theory is a forerunner of contemporary control theories (e.g., self-control theory) aimed at explaining deviance and delinquency among youth populations. A central premise of containment theory, as with all control theories of crime and delinquency, is that behavior must be controlled, and in the absence of appropriate controls, people will deviate. Though the theory has fallen out of vogue in recent times, it is frequently referenced in the criminological literature, and some argue it is the predecessor to modern control theories of crime and delinquency.
