Youth Crime and Social Control: A Socio-Legal Perspective from Vietnam

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between youth crime and social control mechanisms in Vietnam through a socio-legal framework. Drawing on classical and contemporary theories of social control^[1], combined with empirical studies conducted in Vietnam^[2], the research elucidates how legal institutions and informal community forces jointly influence the trajectories of juvenile delinquency. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyze statistical data from the Ministry of Public Security’s 2022 Judicial Report and conduct semi-structured interviews with 30 juvenile offenders and 15 key stakeholders-including legal professionals, social workers, and local officials-in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. The findings reveal procedural shortcomings, an excessive reliance on custodial sentencing, and insufficient investment in community-based interventions. In response, the paper proposes a set of integrated reforms: embedding restorative justice principles into administrative adjudication processes, enhancing the professional capacity of juvenile social services, and institutionalizing inter-agency coordination frameworks. These recommendations aim to harmonize punitive and rehabilitative goals, reduce juvenile recidivism, and promote effective social reintegration, thereby contributing to juvenile justice reform in transitional legal systems.

Keywords: Youth crime; Social control; Juvenile justice; Restorative justice; VietNam.

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/150-04

Publication date: January 28^th 2026

[1] Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison. Pantheon Books; Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. University of California Press; Sampson, R. J., & Laub, J. H. (1993). Crime in the making: Pathways and turning points through life. Harvard University Press.

[2] Nguyễn, T. H. (2018). Urbanization and youth crime in Southern Vietnam. Vietnam Journal of Social Sciences, 12(3), 22–37; Trần, M. A., & Lê, V. K. (2020). Hệ thống pháp luật xử lý người chưa thành niên phạm tội ở Việt Nam: Thực trạng và khuyến nghị. Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Lập pháp, (22), 17–29.