YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS AT HIGHFIELDS

Ashley Weeks, a professor of sociology at New York University, has directed this statistical evaluation study of the work which has been done at Highfields, a rehabilitation center for delinquent boys. At Highfields, a surprisingly low-cost facility, a small homogeneous group live together in a homelike atmosphere, work and are compensated, join in guided group interaction sessions and lead as normal lives as possible. The result has been that the recidivism-after Highfields has only been 16.5% as against 48.9 from the State Reformatory, Annandale. This study provides a tabulated comparison between the Annandale and Highfields' boys,-background, attitudes, success records, etc.- along with articles on the method of group therapy used at Highfields and its success with certain types of delinquents, not too disturbed emotionally nor too patterned in delinquency. For all engaged in social welfare, it is an important appraisal of a new approach to handling delinquency particularly at this time, but it is for a professional market only of welfare workers, psychiatrists, penologists.