Book Review: Clarke Hall and Morrison's Law relating to Children and Young Persons
| Date | 01 October 1953 |
| Published date | 01 October 1953 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455055300602306 |
| Author | D.H.T.J. |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
OOR
€VI€Ws'
Juvenile
Delinquency, by Dr. J. D. W.
Pearce
(Cassell &
Co.•
25s,>-
Much
water
has
flowed
under
the
Thames
bridges since
Dr. J. D. W.
Pearce
first
began
to
deal
with
London's
juvenile
delinquents.
Well-known
at
Stamford
House
Remand
Home, he finally
concentrated
on
hospital
prac-
tice
and
his
long-standing
service to
the
Institute
for
the
Study
and
Treatment
of Delinquency. Because of
his
profound
common
sense
he
won
the
confidence of London
probation
officers.
The
fruits
of
this
service
and
the
application
of
his
common
sense
are
all to be
seen
in
his"
Juvenile
Dellnquency,"
published
by Cassell
at
25s.,
in
which
he
sets
out
to
explain
the
mind
of
the
psychia-
trist
in
dealing
with
the
delinquent,
and
how
he
sets
about
his
task.
The
book
makes
frequent
use of case
histories
to illus-
trate
its
text.
and
its
definitions
and
lucid
explanations
make
it
an
admirable
textbook for
those
who'
want
to
study
the
subject.
It
is also afirst-class book of
refer-
ence
for
those
working
with
delinquents,
whether
in
schools, courts,
or
clinics. An excellent
bibliography
and
an
unusually
detailed
index
multiply
its
value for
the
busy
probation
officer.
Blemishes
are
few,
but
surprising.
On
page
302, case
committee
and
probation
committee
are
confused. On
page
303,
an
error
common
among
those
who
misunder-
stand
the
juvenile
courts
is
made:
the
welfare
of
the
child is
not
the
sole
criterion
in
the
court. Elsewhere
in
the
book Dr.
Pearce
quotes
the
principle
accurately.
"Juvenile
Delinquency"
is
not
the
kind
of book to
borrow
and
hand
back.
Far
be it
from
PROBATION
to
recommend
borrowing
and
keeping,
but
it
can
be
said
that"
Juvenile
Delinquency"
is
worth
every
penny
of
the
25s.
which
it costs,
and
the
place
it wlll
have
on
the
shelf
at
one's
elbow. J.F.B.
Clarke
Hall
and
Morrison's Law
relating
to
Children
and
Young Persons.
First
Supplement
to
Fourth
Edition.
(Butterworth
&
Co"
15s.
net.)
This
work is
probably
used as extensively as
any
other
by
probation
otfJcers.
Its
well-thumbed
appearance
in
most
offices is, in itself, proof of
its
value.
The
recent
spate
of
fresh
legislation
has
affected
the
law
relating
to
children
and
young
persons.
and
the
authors,
keeping
to
the
original
style,
have
brought
the
main
work up to
date
in
this
comprehensive
supplement.
In
addition
to a
detailed
notcr
up,
relevant
sections
of
a
number
of new
statutes-notably
the
Prison
Act, 1952,
and
the
Magistrates'
Courts
Act,
1952-are
included, as
are
a
number
of
statutory
instruments
and
Home Office
circulars.
This
supplement
will be a
valuable
addition
to
any
up-
to-date
reference
library.
D.H.T.J.
The
English
Prison
and
Borstal
Systems, by Lionel W.
Fox
(Routledge &
Kegan
Paul,
30s.),
This
is a first class book
in
every way.
It
is
authorita-
tive
and
complete
as a source of
information
about
all
aspects
of
the
prison
and
Borstal
services in
England
and
Wales,
from
aconcise
but
brilliant
historical
survey
to
the
smallest
detail
of
prison
life.
For
the
student
or
social
worker
it provides
an
essential
reference
book. At
the
same
time, for
the
ordinary
citizen who would like a
general
survey,
this
book is
just
as
valuable
because
it is
so well
written
that
the
reader
who
has
no previous
know-
ledge of
the
subject
will
not
find it
heavy
going in
the
manner
of
most
text
books.
Sir
Lionel Fox
(and
rarely
was
an
honour
more
richly
deserved
than
the
knighthood
he
recently
received)
has
a
light
and
delicate
style
and
so is able to
bring
even
the
Prison
Standing
Orders
to life.
What
is
more
he
reveals
that,
contrary
to
popular
belief,
the
Chairman
of
the
Prison
Commissioners does
know
precisely
what
is going
on in
prison
and
is
not
in
any
way
remote
from
the
humblest
prisoner
or
the
newest
member
of
the
staff.
The
regulations
provide
that
the
prisoner
may
ring
his
cell bell in
any
emergency
but
the
Chairman
of
the
Prison
Commissioners
understands
perfectly
well
what
may
happen
if
the
prisoner
does so
in
the
middle
of
the
night
without
very full justification.
Those
who work in
prison
know
that
gambling
may
go on
and
wlll
probably
think
that
the
Commissioners
must
not
know
anything
about
this.
Sir
Lionel
introduces
an
unobtrusive
sentence
which
the
reader
remembers
a few
pages
later
as
reveal-
ing
that
he knows exactly
what
is going on. He also
shows
how
well
he
understands,
for
instance,
a
chaplain's
problems, a
Borstal
matron's
difficulties
and
the
compli-
cations
of
after-care.
This
is
certainly
a book
any
penologist
or
penal
reformer
must
add
to his shelves.
For
the
amateur
it
will
SUffice,
along
with
Dr.
Grunhut's
"Penal
Reform,"
,to
provide
an
adequate
and
comprehensive
survey
of
the
whole
subject.
·F.D.
The
Probation
Hostel in
England,
by
John
C.
Spencer
and
Dr.
Tadeusz
Grygier
(I.S.T.D., Is. 6d.,
plus
postage),
It
is good to be
reminded
of
the
importance
of
the
probation
hostel,
which
has
now come to be
regarded
as
an
integral
part
of
the
probation
system.
John
Spencer,
in
part
one
of
the
pamphlet,
gives us a
timely
warning
against
acceptance
of
our
penal
institu-
tions
without
questioning
their
effectiveness.
The
probation
hostel
is no exception;
this
form
of
treatment
is
often
used
in
avery
haphazard
way,
without
sufficient
care
being
taken
in
the
selection
of cases.
John
Spencer's
information
on
the
distribution
of
the
boys' wages is
not
entirely
correct;
it is
not
true
to
say
that,
after
the
usual
deductions
towards
maintenance,
etc.,
two-thirds
of
the
remainder
of a
lad's
wages
are
returned
to
him
and
one-third
is
saved
until
his
dis-
charge,
and
since
the
article
was first
published
there
have
been
certain
concessions
made
in
the
vexed
ques-
tion
of
transfer.
However, I find
the
paper-Which
in-
cidentally
takes
only
ten
minutes
to
read-thought
provoking,
and
it does
make
one
wish for a
more
comprehensive
survey
of
this
most
important
work.
It
does
occur
to me
that
the
necessity to
link
Ule'
psychiatrist,
the
psychiatric
social worker,
the
probation
officer
and
the
warden,
which
apparently
needs
such
taltt
(Continued
overleaf)
[273 ]
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