Profile of delinquency : a background to the problem in Newfoundland; a project

• Main Author: Jeans, David James
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1973
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/8026/; https://research.library.mun.ca/8026/1/Jeans_DavidJames.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/8026/3/Jeans_DavidJames.pdf

The purpose of this project was to provide background information on the inmates of the Boys' Home and Training Schools for the Committee for the Study of Correctional Services in Newfoundland. Included in this profile was home, academic, criminal, and institutional information, as gathered from a random sample of one hundred admissions over the period from 1967 to 1972. This data will be used as a basis for recommendations the Committee will make for correctional reform in Newfoundland. -- Generally, the study found that the boys were a product of unstable home backgrounds, characterized by unemployment, low income, and large families. The records indicated that many lacked the ability and inclination to succeed in the regular school program. Many were convicted of repeated crimes against property, and failed to comply with their probation requirements. However, once admitted to the home, most of them adjusted quite well, which indicated they were more deprived than delinquent. -- On the basis of the data, recommendations for the improvement of rehabilitation services and the prevention of delinquency were made. Included in these proposals were the following points: -- 1. An increased emphasis on probation services is needed. -- 2. A more vocationally oriented educational program, suited to the needs of the inmates, is required. -- 3. There is need for psychological testing and recording at the Home. -- 4. The legal age of wardship should be extended. -- 5. Further research is needed.