Young Offenders.An enquiry into Juvenile Delinquency
- Author:
Carr Saunders, H. Mannheim and E. C.
Rhodes. Cambridge University Press. 7s. 6d.
In this report are embodied not only the results of the present enquiry, but a valuable summary of the findings of the more important earlier investigations into juvenile delinquency that have taken place over the past 130 years.
Abnormal home conditions, parental laxity, lack of, or unsuitability of education and employment, the influence of adverse social and economic conditions, such as industrial depression, have all played their part in the periodic fluctuations observed. Furthermore, almost invariably, investigators have shown that no one single factor, in itself, is the cause of crime, and that hence we can expect to find no one specific or sovereign remedy.
The present investigation was initiated by the Home Secretary in 1938, when the general supervision of the work was entrusted to Mr. A. M. Carr Saunders and two of his colleagues at the London School of Economics, Dr H. Mannheim and Dr E. C. Rhodes.
The enquiry was at first planned to be carried out in the London area, but before this was begun, an extension was made to include six provincial cities.
The number of cases finally investigated was nearly 40,000, half of them being delinquents and half non- delinquent controls.
The use of these controls, carefully selected so as to be comparable in age, social and economic environment* etc., is one of the most valuable features of the report* and has not previously been attempted on so large a scale. The investigation was confined to boys and the centre of interest of the inquiry was concerned witn social and environmental conditions.
The authors draw attention to the necessity f?r continuous and progressive investigation, in order that a watch may be kept on broad sociological changes an” gradual, but general, alterations in social habits and customs. They do not lose sight of the fact that ne^ factors, which have hitherto played little part in the problem of delinquency, may emerge almost unnoticed, while other factors may equally lose significance or become inoperative.
The report is largely a statistical one, and is not concerned with moral judgments, except incidentally’ but its intrinsic objectivity gives additional value to an important piece of research.
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