NCJ Number
90778
Journal
Revue internationale de criminologie et de police technique Volume: 34 Issue: 3 Dated: (July-September 1981) Pages: 285-296
Date Published
1981
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This report, based on experience of the Research Service of the Association for the Safeguarding of Children in the Basque Country (France), addresses practical intervention with juvenile delinquents and contends that effectiveness of the clinical model is stymied by interference from the justice model and other external concerns.
Abstract
The clinical model focuses on the individual case and progresses through the stages of observation, diagnosis, and treatment. It is a multidimensional approach, integrating mediopsychosocial therapies for behavior modification. Distortion of the model occurs at the diagnostic stage by bureaucratic reporting demands that short-circuit the model's focus on personality factors and emphasize sociological factors instead. The treatment model may be further compromised by the therapist, whose intervention under these conditions can assume a coercive quality under pressure to fulfill the requirements of the justice model instead of establishing a favorable therapist-client relationship necessary for treatment. It is concluded that these procedures carry significant stigmatization risks for the clients. No footnotes or references are given.