A system and method for model checking of concurrent multi-threaded programs with bounded lock chains includes analyzing individual program threads in a concurrent multi-threaded program to determine sets of reachable states and lock access patterns for bounded lock chains by tracking sets of states reachable from a given set of states and tracking lock acquisitions and releases by maintaining a bi-directional lock causality graph. Analysis results from multiple threads are combined using an acceptance condition of the lock causality graph to determine whether there is a violation of a correctness property in the concurrent multi-threaded program.