The Young Lag. A Study in Crime
- Author:
Sir Leo
Page. Faber & Faber. 18s.
Sir Leo Page, who has devoted a great many years to studying the criminal and his problems, has in this book made a personal investigation of twentythree young men undergoing imprisonment. In each case, he has spent at least several hours interviewing the young man and listening patiently to his history.
Unfortunately, however, Sir Leo, whose views on crime and criminals will already be familiar to many readers, has in the reviewer’s opinion failed in every case to get below the surface and to unravel what has been going on in the minds of these young men. His case histories are too superficially factual. No doubt his approach was kindly and a sentimental note would have been distrusted, but one could have hoped for a more sympathetic and a less condemnatory attitude, particularly in an advocate of religious training which is one of his main planks. Of special interest to many of our readers will be the rather bitter attack on psychiatrists and psychologists or?as the author sees them?” psychological technicians He uses just the kinds of example which nearly all such workers deplore, but they may gain comfort from the knowledge that he is equally destructive in his criticism of many of his own colleagues. Indeed, on his own admission, he disagrees with some of the most experienced and respected of his judicial brethren.
The book should certainly be read by everyone working in this field, as it clearly reflects the attitudes of those who rely only on ” common sense ” and the experience of ” practical men ” for the solution of the problems of the reformation of juvenile delinquents and the prevention of the occurrence of juvenile delinquency. It is an exposition of the views of those who believe mainly in measures such as harsher sentences at an early stage in the delinquent’s career, religious training and youth club activities. It makes no attempt to understand what underlies the delinquent’s difficulties or failure in assimilating such training and in integrating into communal club life. Sir Leo’s antipathy towards honest scientific research into human motivations will set the clock back a good many years. J.D.W.P.
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