NCJ Number
147578
Journal
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Volume: 322 Dated: (March 1959) Pages: 107-116
Date Published
1959
Length
10 pages
Annotation
In the 1950's, group work with predelinquent youths outside building-centered programs was an aspect of juvenile delinquency prevention to which settlement houses, neighborhood centers, and youth-serving agencies were giving increased attention.
Abstract
Group work followed the same general pattern as work with delinquent gangs, but significant differences existed with respect to the nature and intensity of worker relationships with parents and other adults. In particular, the Hyde Park Youth Project in Chicago selected groups of teenagers who were believed to have a high potential for delinquent behavior and provided them with intensive staff service for 6 to 18 months. A comparison of the frequency of individual antisocial behavior at the outset of staff service and termination showed that youths who participated in little or no antisocial behavior when staff service was first provided continued to avoid delinquency. Staff were least successful with youth who already had a history of antisocial behavior at the time of first contact. 1 table