A review of relevant research on youth "at risk" identifies a number of factors that determine whether youth become serious offenders. An important factor is lifestyle and social routine. Delinquency occurs as youth make risky lifestyle choices related to alcohol or drug use, choosing and imitating delinquent peers, and frequenting "high-risk public environments" (pubs, discos, and clubs). After identifying factors that increase a youth's risk for developing a delinquent lifestyle, the paper outlines the primary mechanisms likely to guide youth into law-abiding behavior and away from delinquent lifestyles. One mechanism, called "instrumental/prudential compliance," involves rational calculations of self-interest based on incentives and disincentives for law-abiding behavior. A second mechanism is called "constraint-based compliance." This involves the creation and management of the social structures and behavioral opportunities available to youth. Making it difficult for youth to pursue risky lifestyles can help channel them into more accessible opportunities for constructive social and behavioral patterns. A third mechanism, entitled "normative compliance," involves learning and accepting or believing in a positive social norm that is reinforced by attachments to people who comply with those norms. The fourth mechanism, "compliance based on habit or routine," pertains to the development of habitual law-abiding behaviors that become the core of one's self-concept. 11 figures