NCJ Number
136565
Journal
Child and Youth Care Forum Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: (August 1991) Pages: 255-268
Date Published
1991
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study explored the therapeutic potential of milieu treatment in the field of juvenile corrections through a 10-day, covert participant observation of a short-term correctional facility for 18 boys.
Abstract
The author envisioned that negative peer influence would define the basis of group acceptance and personal growth. He occupied a spare bed in the correctional facility, posing as a 16-year-old first offender convicted of stealing a vehicle. The author adopted an unselfish style of play with the resident boys and displayed a willingness to listen to them. The correctional facility employed a behavioral point earning system through which the boys were expected to earn privileges as individuals and as a group. During the author's short stay, his dorm jumped from third to first place, and he earned over 80 percent of his group's points. The author's presence seemed to have a positive influence on the residents in general, and he emerged as a group leader. During his short career as a juvenile delinquent, the author was forced to take on a role and earn acceptance with the group. His chances for success, however, were greatly enhanced by a broader and more highly developed range of personal values and social skills. He challenged his peers to grow beyond their restrictive identities and attempted to initiate a process of therapeutic engagement. He concludes that creative approaches to the injection of positive peer values into the delinquent subculture may involve a new role for other volunteers and interns or the use of more heterogeneous groupings perhaps with mainstream peers to model prosocial identities. 1 endnote