Review of Criminal Youth and the Borstal System

Abstract

Reviews the book, Criminal Youth and the Borstal System by William Healy and Benedict S. Alper (1941). Only one side of the socio-economic problem of criminal youth is touched in this book--that of effective means of dealing with the youthful offenders. The authors are well equipped to compare American methods of handling criminal youth with those of England. Through this comparison, which is replete with constructive criticism, they can't help but accomplish their purpose, "to awaken interest in the practical possibilities of more effective methods of dealing with criminal youth" in the United States. The book is very logically divided into three sections. The first third deals with our unscientific and hence ineffective methods of dealing with criminal youth. As a possible aid to the solution the Borstal System of England is presented. In conclusion, the authors attempt to show the weaknesses in the Borstal system and to present a practical procedure that may be utilized by in the United States. Thus, once again a socio-economic problem is dealt with by alleviating its results. When will we begin to correct our social, economic, and political problems by removing the actual source of the various malignant growths? (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)