Explanations about criminality based on social control theories suggest that the weakening of social bonds and the non-internalization of moral standards increase the likelihood of delinquency. The goal of this study was to verify whether juvenile offenders participating in non-custodial socio-educational programs, having or not previously served custodial sentences, display differences in regard to the intensity with which they have been subjected to elements of informal social control. A survey applied to juveniles participating in non-custodial socio-educational programs in Minas Gerais was used, with a sample of 243 individuals. The analysis methodology included descriptive statistics as well as the evaluation of binomial logistic regression models. The results indicated that the individuals participating in socio-educational programs - who are more intensively subjected to certain social control factors - display a lower probability of being in rehabilitation, that is, of having already served a custodial sentence in the past.
Social control; Youth; Crime
