Travis Warner Hirschi (April 15, 1935 – January 2, 2017) was an American sociologist and an emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Arizona.

[1] In his 1969 work Causes of Delinquency, Hirschi posited his version of social control theory.

He wrote that social bonds encouraged conforming behavior and prevented most people from committing crimes.

[5] A 1983 paper in the American Journal of Sociology by Hirschi and Michael R. Gottfredson showed that younger age was associated with increased criminal activity independent of any other known factor.

[5] In 1990, Hirschi and Gottfredson wrote that lack of self-control, which was tied to parenting issues, was the cause of crime.