(Continued from page 291)
| Published date | 01 April 1934 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455053400101907 |
| Date | 01 April 1934 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
30I
LONDON
SCHOOL
OF
ECONOMICS
MENTAL
HEALTH
COURSE.
HE
announcement
of
the
next
session
of
the
Mental
T
Health
Course,
published
in this
issue,
together
with
a
further
generous
offer
of
scholarships
from
the
Commonwealth
Fund
of
America,
should
be
of
special
interest
to
probation
officers
who
look
for
an
opportunity
to
review
their
knowledge
and
practical
skill
in
dealing
with
behaviour
difficulties.
Present
day
psychology,
both
educational
and
medical,
is
often
criticised
for
variety
and
inconsistency
in
theory
and
method.
But
variety
of
approach
is
characteristic
of
a
growing
science.
Psychologists
are
no
longer
content
with
laboratory
experiments
and
&dquo;armchair &dquo;
theories.
It
is
characteristic
of
the
psychology
of
this
generation
that
facts
and
theories
must
constantly
be
measured
against
the
variety
of
human
behaviour
and
experience
which
is
the
social
laboratory
of
the
practical
case
worker.
Progress
in
psychology
and
in social
work
is
dependent
upon
the
degree
to
which
they
can
be
brought
into
close
practical
relationship.
No
scientist
can
afford
to
overlook
common
sense,
and
that
imme-
diate
judgment
which
is
often
called
intuition.
But
common
sense
undisciplined
by
exact
knowledge
leads
to
extravagant
methods,
and
intuition
is
subject
to
the
fallacies
of
individual
interest.
The
Mental
Health
Course
is
designed
to
put
the
experienced
social
worker
into
touch
with
some
of
the
more
important
discoveries
about
human
personality
and
behaviour,
and
to
give
opportunities
for
experience
in
the
application
of
this
knowledge.
Emphasis
is
laid
upon
the
practical
side.
The
student
co-operates
with
medical
and
educational
psychologists
in
the
study
and
social
adjustment
of
children
referred
for
advice
to
a
Child
Guidance
Clinic,
and
of
adults
attending
a
Mental
Hospital
for
treatment.
The
Course
extends
over
a
period
of
ten
months,
beginning
in
September,
and
a
certificate
is
given
to
those
who
reach
the
required
standard
in
both
theoretical
and
practical
work.
The
Tutor
will
be
glad
to
discuss
further
particulars
with
any
probation
officer
who
is
interested.
Mental
Health
Course.
Students
are
admitted
to
the
Mental
Health Course
on
the
recommendatlon
of
a
Selection
Committee.
Preference
in
given
to
candidates
who
fulfil
the
three
following
conditions
:-
(a)
Are
over
the
age
of
23
and
are
under
35.
(b)
Have
taken
a
Social
Science
Certificate
or
its
equivalent.
(c)
Have
been
engaged
in
practical
social
work.
Through
the
generosity
of
the
Commonwealth
Fund
the
School
is
able
to
offer
six
scholarships
of
the
value
of
E2oo
each
to
students
taking
the
Course
in
Mental
Health.
Application
forms
and
further
particulars
can
be
obtained
from
the
Secretary,
London
School
of
Eco-
nomics,
Houghton
Street,
Aldwych,
W.C. 2.
THE
MODERN
ENGLISH
PRISON
L.
W.
FOX.
(Secretary
of
the
Prison
Commission.)
Routledge
10/6.
T HIS
is
a
book
which
must
be
of
importance
to
all
_
probation
officers,
and
it
is
to
be
hoped,
to
the
general
public
as
well.
Its
author
is
Assistant
Commissioner
and
Inspector
of
Prisons
and
has
been
secretary
of
the
Pris6n
Commission
since
1025 ;
there-
fore
there
can
be
no
doubt
as
to
the
accuracy
of
his
statements.
He
begins
with
an
interesting
historical
outline,
describing
the
crude
and
sometimes
barbaric
system
of
prison
life
as
it
was
in
past
centuries,
and
leads
up
to
concise
chapters
on
prison
conditions
as
they
stand
to-day.
It
is
a
perfectly
straightforward
statement
of
facts
as
they
are,
giving
details
not
only
of
the
actual
prisoners,
but
of
the
training
of
the
prison
staff,
the
building
and
interior
arrangements,
and
other
factors
of
which
the
average
person
is
profoundly
ignorant.
There
is
a
chapter
on
young
prisoners
and
women,
and
another
giving
a
clear
account
of
the
Borstal
system,
which
should
be
of
especial
interest
to
those
connected
with
probation.
The
immense
difficulties
of
finding
productive
employment
for
prisoners,
especially
those
serving
short
sentences,
are
explained
and
discussed
and
also
the
equally
important
problem
of
aiding
prisoners
to
find
work
on
their
discharge-a
problem
which
is
not
made
easier
when
there
are
millions
of
unemployed
men
who
have
never
been
in
prison.
A
valuable
chapter
is
that
on
the
statistics
of
the
prison
population,
which
shows
that
a
certain
number
of
&dquo;receptions
&dquo;
into
prison
does
not
by
any
means
indicate
an
equivalent
number
of
prisoners
during
a
year,
recidivists
being
responsible
for
many
fluctuations
in
the
figures.
Mr.
Fox,
being
an
official,
is
not
at
liberty
to
criticise
in
strong
language
the
defects
of
the
system
he
serves ;
nevertheless
it
is
evident
that
he
does
not
consider
that
system
in
every
way
perfect.
His
condemnation
of
the
ignorance
of
the
Bench
on
prison
subjects,
for
instance,
is
well
stated
when
he
says
that
frequently
women
are
sentenced
to
a
term
of
hard
labour,
and
in
fact
for
more
than
thirty
years
there
has
been
no
differ-
ence
of
any
kind
between
sentences
with
and
without
hard
labour.
It
is
a
book
of
&dquo; sober
truth &dquo; ;
it
is
not
for
a
moment
dull
reading,
and
raising
as
it
does
questions
which
go
far
beyond
its
actual
scope,
it
should
be
a
very
valuable
stimulant
to
those
who
have
it
in
their
power
to
effect
reform.
_
(
Continued
from
page
291).
Dr.
A.
Cox,
the
government
psychiatrist.
The
services
rendered
included
treatment
for
general
physical
defects,
glandular
imbalance,
venereal
disease,
ophthal-
mic
defects,
dentistry
and
for
various
psychopathic
conditions.
Valuable
service
too
was
rendered
by
whole
time
voluntary
probation
officers,
while
Mr.
Howard
Pim,
one
of
the
earliest
benefactors
of
the
work,
continued
to
pay
the
salaries
of
two
whole
time
native
probation
officers
to
assist
the
official
probation
officers.
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