National Study of the Aftermath of Apprehension

It appears, unfortunately, that what legal authorities now commonly do upon apprehending a juvenile for his delinquent behavior is worse than not apprehending him at all. Two independent studies demonstrate that apprehension itself encourages rather than deters further delinquency. Such a conclusion constitutes a serious indictment of current procedures. This article documents that conclusion and, together with the reactions to these data of men professionally concerned with the problem of delinquency, suggests what might be done about this problem.