A FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF POTENTIAL DELINQUENTS

This follow-up study of 179 children with school behavior problems lends support to the view that potentially delinquent children can be identified with a useful degree of accuracy but casts strong doubts on the hope that social casework services to potential delinquents will significantly reduce the number who actually become officially delinquent. Although the follow-up study of the prediction program is still incomplete, results so far certainly suggest that the Gluecks' method of assessing the child's family life is a useful instrument for identifying potential delinquents. We believe it logical that any comprehensive delinquency prevention program should include such a system of early detection of delinquency. For the appreciable number of potential delinquents who seem unlikely to benefit from the types of services offered by most American cities today, we think certain new techniques need to be developed, especially a family therapeutic community for selected grossly incompetent multi-problem families.