NCJ Number
94274
Journal
Social Problems Volume: 31 Issue: 5 Dated: (June 1984) Pages: 500-513
Date Published
1984
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Reform schools for juvenile delinquents have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability in the face of changing public policy about how children who break the law should be treated.
Abstract
This paper is a case study of one Canadian reform school which has survived four serious population crises since 1909: the Boys' Farm and Training School in Shawbridge, Quebec. The article focuses on the first population crises, from 1921 to 1930, showing how it arose and the strategies adopted by the board of directors at The Boys' Farm to deal with it. Then it examines two other strategies which the board used subsequently to deal with the ongoing problem of dwindling population at the reform school. It concludes by discussing the implications of the research to the ongoing debate over juvenile justice policy. Tables, footnotes, and about 30 references are included. (Author abstract modified)