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The psychology and treatment of the youthful offender
CURRENT PUBLICATIONSABSTRACTS consideration of the limitations of theory in general in explaining individual behavior and then discusses popular views of the causes of delinquency. The remainder of the chapter provides an overview of the two major theoretical schools that provided the basis of most present day ideas about causation--the utilitarian and the positivist--and points to a contemporary shift in the pendulum of ideas back toward the classical. Chapter Four, "Constitutional, Psychiatric, and Psychological Theories," begins with a discussion of the relative influences of heredity and environment on behavior, stressing that both need to be considered at all times. It then surveys major theories, beginning with those focusing on constitutional determinants. Next it covers psychiatric theory, chiefly the work of Freud. One of the major criticisms offered is that although these theories may have some explanatory power, they have no demonstrable predictive power pertaining to delinquency. The chapter concludes with a discussion o f major p s y c h o l o g i c a l theories, culminating in a critique of the recent work of Wilson and Herrnstein. The conclusion of the chapter is that psychology, too, is a field that has yet to adapt its methodology in a way that is relevant to understanding deviance. Chapter Five considers major twentieth century theories formulated specifically to explain delinquency. It begins with extensive discussion of the Ecological School and the work of Shaw and McKay in Chicago. Another major segment deals with the "gang theorists," then follows consideration of labeling theory and its critics, and neutralization and drift. The final chapter in Part Two covers critical, differential association, and control theories. Part Three is the longest section, and it consists of six chapters dealing with the control of juvenile delinquency. The first five chapters discuss various aspects of the American juvenile justice system, and the last chapter in the section looks at other countries. In keeping with the historical perspective of the entire text, the section begins with an examination of the roots of contemporary juvenile justice in antiquity. The next chapter looks at the emergence and development of
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the juvenile court, culminating in a discussion of recent Supreme Court decisions affecting it. The next chapter is on police handling of juveniles and community factors that influence it. Chapter Ten deals with detention and processing of juveniles through the system. Chapter Eleven covers detention, institutionalization, and parole. The book's last two sections are somewhat shorter. Part Four, "The Community," consists of two chapters. The first, Chapter Thirteen, deals with community resources for treatment of juveniles. It begins with an historical overview and then discusses various community-based programs. Chapter Fourteen deals with theories regarding major social institutions--the family, school, and rel i g i o n - a n d how they influence or moderate delinquency. Part Five consists of three chapters on special topics. Chapter Fifteen is on female delinquency, Chapter Sixteen on violence, drugs, and status offenses, and Chapter Seventeen covers an assortment of significant current concerns such as the nuclear threat, the AIDS epidemic, the direction to be taken by contemporary biochemical and social theory, and legal and public policy issues. An extensive author and subject index complete the book.
The Psychology and Treatment of the Youthful O f f e n d e r by David E. Brandt and S. Jack Zlotnick Charles C. Thomas, Publisher (2600 South First Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62794-9265), 1988, 245 pp., hardcover--$29.75. This is a text book focusing on basic issues in delinquency development and treatment from a psychological perspective. Both authors are psychology professors at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The book grew from their experience in teaching a course on "The Psychological Treatment of the Youthful Offender." The perspective is developmental and psychological, and, with a view toward coherence and succinctness the authors have deliberately excluded considera-
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CURRENT PUBLICATIONSABSTRACTS
tion of sociological theory, substance abuse, and youth gangs, which are not their primary interest. Throughout the book they acknowledge that no single factor or set of factors can explain the etiology of delinquency or provide the key to successful treatment, and they direct their attention to major issues that have been identified in the psychological literature. The book is divided into ten chapters. The first is an introductory chapter tracing the history of delinquency from antiquity to the present. It identifies demographic changes, chiefly the decline in infant mortality and increase in the birth rate in the early nineteenth century, that made children, including teenagers, a significant segment of the population and gave rise to the recognition of adolescence as a distinct phase in the human life cycle. It explains why psychological perspectives became important for understanding delinquency and gives a brief overview of the current legal status of juvenile offenders including recent Supreme Court decisions regarding due process. Chapter Two deals with definitional problems and measurement issues. It describes the overall picture of contemporary delinquency available from various data sources, pointing out the limitations of the data, and presents a summary analysis of demographic characteristics of juvenile offenders. It concludes with a note of caution regarding labeling. Chapter Three briefly describes research on abnormal psychology as it relates to deviant behavior and discusses major conventional treatments and classification. Chapters Four and Five deal, respectively, with childhood and adolescent development and the stresses of each that are related to delinquency. The authors make clear at the beginning of Chapter Four that they believe it is the interaction of hereditary and environmental influences that leads to delinquency; there is not one identifiable cause. All children and adolescents have the potential for antisocial behavior. The stresses that are inherent in these developmental stages interact with other factors to lead to negative behavior, which becomes chronic in only a small proportion of cases. Family dynamics and child rearing practices are key.
Chapters Six and Seven review psychosocial and biological theories of delinquency. Chapter Six focuses on behaviorist and social learning theories. The work of Eysenck, Wilson and Herrnstein, and especially, Bandura and Walters is reviewed. Family factors relating to psychopathology are also discussed. Chapter Seven deals with biological theories of the causes of aggressive behavior. It begins with a discussion of the early work of Gall, Lombroso, and Goring. Other major topics include the possible relationship with low intelligence, studies on body type and criminality, chromosomal abnormality, twin studies, and adoption studies. The conclusion of this chapter also is that each of these factors can make a contribution to delinquency, but only in combination with other factors. Chapter Eight is on classification of the youthful offender for treatment purposes. The systems described include the Quay system, the I-level system, DSM-III, and Megargee's MMPI-based system, which, in the authors' view, is the best currently available. Chapter Nine provides an overview of research literature on treating youthful offenders and describes the major therapies currently being utilized. These include psychodynamic, individual, group, and family treatment, behavior modification, and "third f o r c e " approaches such as Transactional Analysis and Reality Therapy. The chapter also gives substantial attention to problems in treating youthful offenders such as the involuntary nature of the treatment, minority issues, and confidentiality. Chapter Ten is a summary chapter on prediction and prevention. It describes several prevention programs, evaluates research on them, and makes some recommendations regarding prevention. It concludes with a reaffirmation of the mental health perspective on delinquency, stressing that the behavior is the product of combined family and other influences, and calls for greater national resources for prevention and rehabilitation. The book concludes with extensive author and subject indices.
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the juvenile court, culminating in a discussion of recent Supreme Court decisions affecting it. The next chapter is on police handling of juveniles and community factors that influence it. Chapter Ten deals with detention and processing of juveniles through the system. Chapter Eleven covers detention, institutionalization, and parole. The book's last two sections are somewhat shorter. Part Four, "The Community," consists of two chapters. The first, Chapter Thirteen, deals with community resources for treatment of juveniles. It begins with an historical overview and then discusses various community-based programs. Chapter Fourteen deals with theories regarding major social institutions--the family, school, and rel i g i o n - a n d how they influence or moderate delinquency. Part Five consists of three chapters on special topics. Chapter Fifteen is on female delinquency, Chapter Sixteen on violence, drugs, and status offenses, and Chapter Seventeen covers an assortment of significant current concerns such as the nuclear threat, the AIDS epidemic, the direction to be taken by contemporary biochemical and social theory, and legal and public policy issues. An extensive author and subject index complete the book.
The Psychology and Treatment of the Youthful O f f e n d e r by David E. Brandt and S. Jack Zlotnick Charles C. Thomas, Publisher (2600 South First Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62794-9265), 1988, 245 pp., hardcover--$29.75. This is a text book focusing on basic issues in delinquency development and treatment from a psychological perspective. Both authors are psychology professors at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The book grew from their experience in teaching a course on "The Psychological Treatment of the Youthful Offender." The perspective is developmental and psychological, and, with a view toward coherence and succinctness the authors have deliberately excluded considera-
520
CURRENT PUBLICATIONSABSTRACTS
tion of sociological theory, substance abuse, and youth gangs, which are not their primary interest. Throughout the book they acknowledge that no single factor or set of factors can explain the etiology of delinquency or provide the key to successful treatment, and they direct their attention to major issues that have been identified in the psychological literature. The book is divided into ten chapters. The first is an introductory chapter tracing the history of delinquency from antiquity to the present. It identifies demographic changes, chiefly the decline in infant mortality and increase in the birth rate in the early nineteenth century, that made children, including teenagers, a significant segment of the population and gave rise to the recognition of adolescence as a distinct phase in the human life cycle. It explains why psychological perspectives became important for understanding delinquency and gives a brief overview of the current legal status of juvenile offenders including recent Supreme Court decisions regarding due process. Chapter Two deals with definitional problems and measurement issues. It describes the overall picture of contemporary delinquency available from various data sources, pointing out the limitations of the data, and presents a summary analysis of demographic characteristics of juvenile offenders. It concludes with a note of caution regarding labeling. Chapter Three briefly describes research on abnormal psychology as it relates to deviant behavior and discusses major conventional treatments and classification. Chapters Four and Five deal, respectively, with childhood and adolescent development and the stresses of each that are related to delinquency. The authors make clear at the beginning of Chapter Four that they believe it is the interaction of hereditary and environmental influences that leads to delinquency; there is not one identifiable cause. All children and adolescents have the potential for antisocial behavior. The stresses that are inherent in these developmental stages interact with other factors to lead to negative behavior, which becomes chronic in only a small proportion of cases. Family dynamics and child rearing practices are key.
Chapters Six and Seven review psychosocial and biological theories of delinquency. Chapter Six focuses on behaviorist and social learning theories. The work of Eysenck, Wilson and Herrnstein, and especially, Bandura and Walters is reviewed. Family factors relating to psychopathology are also discussed. Chapter Seven deals with biological theories of the causes of aggressive behavior. It begins with a discussion of the early work of Gall, Lombroso, and Goring. Other major topics include the possible relationship with low intelligence, studies on body type and criminality, chromosomal abnormality, twin studies, and adoption studies. The conclusion of this chapter also is that each of these factors can make a contribution to delinquency, but only in combination with other factors. Chapter Eight is on classification of the youthful offender for treatment purposes. The systems described include the Quay system, the I-level system, DSM-III, and Megargee's MMPI-based system, which, in the authors' view, is the best currently available. Chapter Nine provides an overview of research literature on treating youthful offenders and describes the major therapies currently being utilized. These include psychodynamic, individual, group, and family treatment, behavior modification, and "third f o r c e " approaches such as Transactional Analysis and Reality Therapy. The chapter also gives substantial attention to problems in treating youthful offenders such as the involuntary nature of the treatment, minority issues, and confidentiality. Chapter Ten is a summary chapter on prediction and prevention. It describes several prevention programs, evaluates research on them, and makes some recommendations regarding prevention. It concludes with a reaffirmation of the mental health perspective on delinquency, stressing that the behavior is the product of combined family and other influences, and calls for greater national resources for prevention and rehabilitation. The book concludes with extensive author and subject indices.