Juvenile Firesetters: Do the Agencies Help?

In an attempt to find out what was being done for juvenile firesetters in their metropolitan community the authors reviewed the records of the local fire marshal, juvenile court, and psychiatric clinic. They found that the various agencies involved with 69 juveniles over a 3-year period were unable to coordinate their efforts and were largely unsuccessful in controlling the fire setting. Because the families of firesetters seem to have many other social problems, the authors recommend early inpatient assessment and possible referral to foster homes or residential treatment settings for juvenile firesetters.