Arts, Faculty of
Social Work, School of
DSpace
UBCV
Montpellier, Alfred Louis
Master of Social Work - MSW
University of British Columbia
Youthful offenders are usually persons who are struggling with severe social and emotional problems; who are either isolates or associate mainly with anti-social persons, and as a consequence, cut themselves off, and are cut off from persons who could assist them to identify with more normal social goals and values. This thesis is a descriptive analysis of a programme developed for such "clients", giving specific attention to the introduction of group work and related social work services at the Young Offenders' Unit, a correctional institution in British Columbia. The original leisure-time programme hoped to gain the interest and cooperation of youthful offenders; instead, they withdrew into their housing units. In response to this, a social group work service is provided, and counsellors (both men and women) are assigned to work directly in the housing units. The transitional aspects of such a programme, in a correctional setting, presents peculiar problems; therefore, descriptive detail is given in order to highlight two major shifts in focus: (1) The function of the counsellors; (2) The diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of activities, over and above their leisure-time value. The essential group work task of gaining the acceptance of delinquent youths is analyzed, and specific examples are given which illustrate how group activities of all kinds provide the tools whereby counsellors observe, study, and diagnose the interaction in each group and between groups. As a result, helpful roles emerge which make it possible for counsellors to assist the groups and their individual members towards socially acceptable behaviour. Because the youthful offender will eventually return to the community, the study points out how the delinquent is able to gain a growing trust in adults as he identifies with his counsellor, and how this furthers his eventual integration into society. The kinds of activities which are helpful to this end are illustrated. The study recognizes that segregation of youthful offenders in a separate building, and assigning counsellors to work directly with groups, helps the delinquent to substitute patterns of mature social relationships in the place of immature, anti-social patterns of relationship. But the traditional institution of concrete and stone, with steel bars and gates poses serious limitations, in that it perpetuates, arid sometimes re-inforces the youthful offender's emotional isolation from the community. The concept of a more 'open type' institution is presented, as one answer to this problem, facilitating the whole process in bridging the gap between the institution and the community, after-care, etc. The need for trained staff continues as an essential part of such a programme.
GROUP WORK IN AN INSTITUTION FOR YOUNG OFFENDERS An A n a l y t i c a l Study o f the I n t r o d u c t i o n and Development o f Group Work S e r v i c e s a t the Young Offenders' U n i t o f O a k a l l a P r i s o n Farm, 1951-1959 -by ALFRED LOUIS MONTPELLIER The s i s Submitted i n P a r t i a l F u l f i l m e n t o f the Requirements f o r the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK i n the School o f S o c i a l Work Accepted as conforming to the standard r e q u i r e d f o r the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK School of S o c i a l Work I960 The U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia In presenting t h i s t h e s i s i n p a r t i a l f u l f i l m e n t of the requirements f o r an advanced degree at the U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia, I agree that the L i b r a r y s h a l l make i t f r e e l y a v a i l a b l e f o r reference and study. I f u r t h e r agree th a t permission f o r extensive copying of t h i s t h e s i s f o r s c h o l a r l y purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by h i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e . I t i s understood tha t copying or p u b l i c a t i o n of t h i s t h e s i s f o r f i n a n c i a l gain s h a l l not be allowed without my w r i t t e n permission. Department The U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia, Vancouver 8\ Canada. Date i i TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I - Group Work and Corrections Institutions Page (A) The youthful offender and his special needs. Institutions designed for him. The dichotomy of Treatment-Custody. Group work principles and contributions in a corrections institution. Method of Study, (B) I n i t i a l programme at the Young Offenders' Unit. Fig., 1: Sketch of a unit. Comparisons old and new. Activities on an interest basis. Activities as incentives. Definition of function and clarification of Staff roles. Movement towards acceptance • 1 Chapter II - Starting a Group Programme Establishing the function of the Staff. Struggles with the function. Clarification of function. Activities on an individual basis. Activities on a group basis. Concept of Staff role. Concept of acceptance 36 Chapter III - The Beginning of Socialization Placement problems; high status and low status in unit groups. The unit group as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. Group work-Casework services. Routines and activities as tools in diagnosis and treatment 61 Chapter IV - Working Together as Groups Relevant basic factors: The institution setting; the unit groups; the function and role of Staff. Working together before working with others. Administrative techniques as tools in inter-group relations. Inter-group relations as diagnostic and treatment devices. Teams and inter-group relations. Programme planning committee and cyclical nature of planning 78 Chapter V - Bridging the Gap between Prison and Community Facilities and equipment as ..bridges. Activities as normal part of community l i f e . Activities as exposure to non-delinquent behaviour. Non-delinquent groups and the rehabilitative process. Women as a normal part of the community 98 Chapter VI - Contributions and Possibilities Contributions of group work towards modification of delinquent behaviour. Setting, staff, unit groups, and after-care; their bearing on the effectiveness of group rehabilitative efforts. Open institutions; expanded unit f a c i l i t i e s ; staff training in social work; the community. Institutions and Groupings 117 i i i Appendices: A« Job D e s c r i p t i o n f o r C o u n s e l l o r s * B. G l o s s a r y of Slang Terms Used by Inmat C. B i b l i o g r a p h y . iv ABSTRACT Youthful offenders are usually persons who are struggling with severe social and emotional problems; who are either isolates or associate mainly with anti-social persons| and as a consequence, cut themselves off, and are cut off from persons who could assist them to identify with more normal social goals and values. This thesis i s a descriptive analysis of a programme developed for such "clients", giving specific attention to the introduction of group work and related social work services at the Young Offenders' Unit, a correctional institution in British Columbia. The original leisure-time programme hoped to gain the interest and cooperation of youthful offenders; instead, they withdrew into their housing units. In response to this, a social group work service is provided, and counsellors (both men and women) are assigned to work directly in the housing units. The transitional aspects of such a programme, in a correctional setting, presents peculiar problems; therefore, descriptive detail i s given in order to highlight two major shifts in focus: (l) The function of the counsellors; (2) The diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of activities, over and above their leisure-time value. The essential group work task of gaining the acceptance of delinquent youths is analyzed, and specific examples are given which illustrate how group activities of a l l kinds provide the tools whereby counsellors observe, study, and diagnose the inter-action in each group and between groups. As a result, helpful roles emerge which make i t possible for counsellors to assist the groups and their individual members towards socially acceptable behaviour. Because the youthful offender will eventually return to the community, the study points out how the delinquent is able to gain a growing trust in adults as he identifies with his counsellor, and how this furthers his eventual integration into society. The kinds of activities which are helpful to this end are illustrated. The study recognizes that segregation of youthful offenders in a separate building, and assigning counsellors to work directly with groups, helps the delinquent to substitute patterns of mature social relationships in the place of immature, anti-social patterns of relationship. But the traditional institution of concrete and stone, with steel bars and gates poses serious limitations, in that i t perpetuates, arid sometimes re-inforces the youthful offender's emotional isolation from the community. The concept of a more 'open type' institution is presented, as one answer to this problem, facilitating the whole process in bridging the gap between the institution and the community, after-care, etc. The need for trained staff continues as an essential part of such a programme. V ACKNOWLEDGMENT The help and support of my colleagues in preparing and completing this thesis is gratefully acknowledged. To Miss Anne Furness, and Mr. John Fornataro of the School of Social Work, my appreciation for their suggestions. I am especially grateful to Dr. Leonard Marsh, of the School of Social Work, for his valuable attention to content and method of the study. CHAPTER I GROUP WORK AND CORRECTIONS INSTITUTIONS Jim Brown f i r s t came to the a t t e n t i o n of the school counsellor as a r e s u l t of misbehaviour i n school.. He was eleven years old at the time.. At home, Jim was reported to be very jealous of a younger brother, and to have a poor r e l a t i o n s h i p with h i s father., The mother admitted that she was a f r a i d of Jim, and i t was only when the father was at home that Jim obeyed her.- However, the f a t h e r was away during the week and was only home on weekends. Commenting on Jim's classroom behaviour, the school counsellor observed that, In school work Jim has to be pushed constantly by the teachers. He necessitates three or. four times as much a t t e n t i o n from the teacher as the average student. He i s extremely a c t i v e and r e s t l e s s , c o n t i n u a l l y t a l k i n g or d i s t u r b i n g the c l a s s i n general. When reprimanded, the standard procedure i s for Jim to deny everything. Teachers are of the opinion he d e l i b e r a t e l y "barbs" them. 1 This i s an account of Jim outside of school, from part of the school counsellor's record:: Among the other students, Jim has a reputation of being a "bad egg", and the better behaved youngsters do not associate with him. His companions are a l l students who are c o n t i n u a l l y i n trouble themselves. He i s looked on as a kind of leader of t h i s group. Jim i s extremely h o s t i l e towards younger c h i l d r e n . He pushes them around, and s t r i k e s them. He has been known to s p i t i n a youngster's face when he was passing by, and to throw d i r t i n t h e i r eyes. Following t h i s report by the school c o u n s e l l o r , Jim was r e f e r r e d to the C h i l d Guidance C l i n i c , who commented that:: His vocabulary was e x c e l l e n t , and he tested i n the low superior 1 These, and other e x t r a c t s which f o l l o w , are from a c t u a l records known to the w r i t e r , but combined to give a p i c t u r e of the t y p i c a l young offender. - 2 -group of general i n t e l l i g e n c e . . Jim f e e l s i t i s often d i f f i c u l t f o r him to f i n d someone i n whom he can confide, and he f e e l s insecure because of l a c k of status with those who mean something to him. This f e e l i n g centres mostly around his home s i t u a t i o n . He f e e l s that he has d i f f i c u l t y i n g e t t i n g along with others. Unable to conform to the school s e t t i n g s , he i s f i n a l l y expelled from school when he i s 14 years o l d , as a r e s u l t of being drunk at a school dance.= Jim along with a number of other boys, had caused considerable disturbance at the school dance. He was expelled, however, because he had been the most troublesome;; and furthermore, he had spread a " v i c i o u s story concerning a g i r l and a boy who were supposed to have had sexual intercourse". When seen by the P r i n c i p a l , he c r i e d a good deal, and feared that people would turn against him. S h o r t l y a f t e r t h i s , he ran away from home, and when he did not r e t u r n the p o l i c e were contacted. He was subsequently/ apprehended and brought back home. The parents-then decided to send him to another school, and he was again expelled for misbehaving. Along with another boy, he s t o l e a car; as a r e s u l t , he was arrested and committed to the Boy's I n d u s t r i a l School;; but, a f t e r a short time there, he managed to escape. He was again a r r e s t e d , a f t e r t h i s b r i e f period of freedom. From Oakalla P r i s o n Farm he wrote the f o l l o w i n g l e t t e r to a f r i e n d : I guess you heard by now that I had escaped from Bisco. A f t e r committing f i f t y - t w o crimes we were caught i n a hot car and were brought to the Juvenile detention Home, where we got i n t o a f i g h t with f i v e of the guards. We sent four of them to the h o s p i t a l , they were s u f f e r i n g from burns, cuts and rupture. You think I got i t bad, you should see my two partners, they each got f i v e years. I only got 2 years. Give my regards to the gang. Jim i s now s i x t e e n years o l d . In h i s l e t t e r to h i s f r i e n d he brags about h i s a n t i - s o c i a l behaviour, but attempts to cover some of h i s fear by a r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n that his partner i s worse o f f than he i s . At t h i s point, h i s delinquent o r i e n t a t i o n i s quite pronounced, yet h i s sense of i s o l a t i o n from the more normal groups in the community is actually a source of concern to him* Lots of guys I know down here are hypes and they are a l l right in my books, except when they start to talk you into your f i r s t f i x * That's when you got to start "playing the ass" for them;; wicked, stuff that.. Oh well, enough-of that for now.. Believe me when I get out I wil l try to be good, but i t is going to be pretty rough facing a l l those people up there.. The outstanding feature in Jim's behaviour is his inability to conform, and this is characteristic of the hardened juvenile delinquent.. Difficulties in his home, in school, and in the community, are symptomatic of his conflict with parents, and with parent substitutes; a l l are conflicts in interpersonal relations.. One of the big problems in trying to help suchi a young man, i s the manner in which he expresses his difficulties.. His •acting out* behaviour often leads to entanglements with the law, even in cases where he may be receiving help from a social worker while he is on probation. Long before any re-edueation may take effect, he i s once again; in trouble with law enforcement authorities.. The vicious circle begins with the youthful offender going from probation to Boy's industrial, school, and on to Oakalla Prison Farm., In British Columbia, approximately 600 young offenders between the ages of 16 and 21 were sentenced to Oakalla during 1959. Jim is typical of some three hundred of this number, 'the hard core' of juvenile delinquents; the recidivists who keep 'coming back'. Society demands protection from the anti-social behaviour of young men such as Jim;; nevertheless, an overwhelming number of experts in the f i e l d of corrections believe that we must go beyond the purely detention aspects of protection, and that society is only protected to, the extent that - 4 -the young offender is given help to become a useful member of society. 2 In British Columbia, any boy under eighteen years of age is considered a juvenile.- However, i f a youth is fourteen years or over, he can be trans-ferred to adult court, i f he commits an indictable offence;; for example, breaking and entering, or stealing a car.. Legally, therefore, a youth can be considered an adult;; but, emotionally, he may be no more than a child. Once he i s sentenced, he is incarcerated in an institution, along with other adult offenders.. The; great majority of young offenders are in what one writer has referred to as a "correctional twilight zone". 3 They are sent to adult institutions where they are apt to be singled out as "troublemakers".. The institution is at a loss to know what to do with them.. In the community they may have been referred to as "hoods" or "punks";; in the institution they are described as "gunzels" or "orang-outangs". The Young Offender - His Special Needs. Chronologically, the young offender may be anywhere from 16 to 21 years of age;, and he may be physically mature.- But, emotionally, he will invariably be struggling.with problems that he was incapable of solving at an earlier stage in his development.. Almost by definition, therefore, the young offender will have a greater degree of difficulty in solving the 2 Cooper, I.B., "The Drama of Youth in Our Criminal Courts," Federal Probation, March.1955, pp. 36-42. -Fenton, N., "The Prison as a Therapeutic community", Federal Probation, June, 1956, pp* 26-29. ~ - • 3 Carr, Lowell, J. "Commitment of the Youthful Offender",, NPPA Journal, Volume 2., No..2., April 1956, p. 154. problems which must be faced by a l l adolescents, in developing to mature adults.. Adolescence is a period of greatly accelerated physical change,, apparent to the adolescent, and to adults around him, a l l of which makes the adolescent more self-conscious. He is attempting to identify himself as a person, to "emancipate" himself from his family, and to sort out possible vocational goals.. Powerful sexual drives bring into sharp focus his relationship with members of the opposite sex.. Having to conform to socially acceptable norms, in a l l areas of his l i f e , requires a high frustration tolerance, yet this is usually at a low ebb in the adolescent. T.o help him in his development, a youngster needs adult support, and, he relies on peer support.. At no period is the individual influenced so much by others of his own age, as in adolescence. Some adolescents have the support and encouragement of their parents; as a result, they have sufficient trust in parent substitutes such as school teachers, church lea-ders, youth leaders in clubs, etc., to accept some direction from them. This is v i t a l l y necessary in facili t a t i n g the adolescent's growth towards adulthood, particularly at a time when - as is typical today - there is widespread change, and many conflicts in values. In accepting such advice, the "normal!' adolescent is helped to meet his needs in a manner that is socially acceptable. The less fortunate adolescent, who has not had the love, support, and encouragement of his mother and father, due to family disorganization of one kind or another, finds i t much more d i f f i c u l t - and sometimes impossible - to co-operate with other adults, school teachers, youth leaders in clubs, etc.. Like the more fortunate adolescent, he will need to associate with his peers;; but, he will tend to gravitate towardss others who are also finding i t d i f f i c u l t to relate to parent substitutes* - 6, -Deprived of their constructive help, he will often respond to the destruc-tive influences of aggressive, and hostile members of his own gang;; then,, because he finds satisfactions and meets his needs in a socially unacceptable manner, he isolates himself along with his gang, and thus become isolated from the more positive influences in the community, and become members of anti-social or so-called "hoodlum gangs",. There are a number of factors that determine the degree of isolation that occurs in such gangs* For example, a gang that is composed of members from ethnic group, will tend to foster greater isolation than a gang who has a greater variety of ethnic groups* The impact of cultural value confusion of recent immigrants is also an important factor which determines the degree of isolation* Getting into difficulty with the law, remember, inevitably binds-the individual closer to his delinquent associates;; criminal activities become symbolic as a common denominator* The adult criminal sub-culture plays an important role in this respect, and one often finds youths who admire a "John Dillinger" or an "Al Capone". The "successful" criminal, therefore, becomes a hero, an object of identification. A certain amount of criminal activities of the adolescent, therefore, can be-seen as attempts in dealing with the problems of "growing up".. Herbert A.. Block and Arthur Niederhoffer have developed this as a hypothesis in this form:: When adolescent youths, as in our own society, find i t d i f f i c u l t to enter the adult status, for reasons of delay, social or tech-nical obstacles, or because of the lack of an orderly facilitating process, they will often attempt to embrace the symbolic equivalents of the adult behaviour denied them. In this latter connection, we find that the youths denied the opportunities for f u l l mental, economic, and civic activity may be apt to affect the superficial trappings of adult privilege.. Thus the adolescent drinking, sexual . escapades, wild automobile ridesj immature assertiveness, violent - 7 -reactions to parental restraints, protests against authority, and the other forms of intransigence that, to the youth at any rate, appear to he the prerogatives of the mature adults. 4 The street corner gang is thus a substitute for normal family growth and "emancipation". It becomes cemented, however, by gang sessions of rituals, codes, and taboos.. As Block and Niedhoffer put i t , the "informal rituals of contemporary adolescent gangs are very similar to puberty rites in primitive society".. 5, Institutions Designed for Young Offenders How does this apply to the young offender? His sentence to a term of imprisonment segregates him from normal society; ; but, young offenders have already isolated themselves, and have been isolated by society.- In the institution, the young offender does not remain by himself.. He meets some he has known "on the outside";; he meets others in the institution. Unfor-tunately he also meets older criminals who can have a demoralizing effect on him, and on his buddies* Gradually, informal aggregates of young offen-ders are formed.. This has been well termed a Society of Captives, "where the particular pattern of social Interaction into which the inmate enters is, in turn, part of a complex social system with i t s own norms, values, and methods of control;: any effort to reform the criminal which ignores this social system of the prison is as futile as the labours of Sisyphus". 6 So, for the young offender, in the mass situation of the institution, his old delinquent patterns of behaviour, which originally brought him into diffi c u l t y with the law, now find new methods of expression in the prison environment. 4 Block H., and Niederhoffer, A., "Adolescent Behaviour and the Gang", The Journal of Social Therapy, Volume 3 Number 4, 1957. p> 178. 5_ Block H., and Niederhoffer A.. Ibid. p. 178. 6 Sykes, Gresham, M. The Society of Captives. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1958. p. 134. - 8 -This is the basic argument for special provisions for the young offender. He should be in a separate institution, removed from the influence of more sophisticated criminals.. The total population must be kept small, i f constructive work is to be done.. 8 In an institution that is larger than this writer suggests, the individual, l i t e r a l l y , "gets lost;." under such circumstances, i t is impossible to carry out any individualization. This is important so that intensive observation, study and diag-nosis can be carried out. The writer is of the opinion that, since grouping with his peers has such a powerful meaning for the adolescent,- an institution for young offenders should provide f a c i l i t i e s for housing -in small groups-say, not more than ten to twelve youths in a group.. Social workers skilled in the use of group methods can provide basic group work service to these groups, with appropriate diagnostic and casework services in order to study, diagnose, and plan, the rehabilitative process. A group work service should be one of the basic elements of total institutional programme. However, an institution for young offenders must provide other resources in the total program, such as, religious, medical, and psychiatric services. Educational, pre-vocational and vocational training should prepare the young offender to learn s k i l l s that wil l enable him to earn his living, once he is released from the institution.. Release planning would be an important aspect of total programme, and this will be discussed later in this study.. The staff-ing of such an institution is an extremely important factor.. In particular,, there is need for f l e x i b i l i t y and integrated teamwork on the part of a l l -staff who must understand, as well as apply, the diversified method outlined, 8 Wagner, Albert C, "A Modern Institution Programme for the Youthful Offender", Federal Probation, pp. 20-24, March 1956. In this article he recommends a maximum population of 80 to 100. i f the ongoing study, diagnosis, and treatment is to bring some light into the "correctional twilight zone" in which the young offender lives. Dichotomy — Treatment and Custody The social worker who.provides a service for individuals, or groups, in a correctional institution, must be aware of the nature of such institutions.. Traditionally restrictive, correctional institutions are gradually accepting the need to reform their offenders. The social worker in the correctional institution must accept two goals: (a) custody,, and (b) treatment.. Unfortunately, they may be conceived as conflict rather than complement:; The modern prison is organized about a dichotomy of custody and treatment in which there is only minimal awareness of the ways in which custody may be a part of treatment and treatment a part of custody. Correctional workers tend to gravitate toward one of two extremes in their attitudes toward the offender — a puni-tive extreme and a permissive extreme. 9 An example of this treatment — custody dichotomy is illustrated in a situation that developed at tb^ Young Offenders' Unit (Y.O..U.), shortly after a group-based programme was introduced. Since the boys sent to the Y.O.U. were housed in groups, the majority of the staff, who had been recrui-ted from the main prison at Oakalla, and whose background of experience was custodial, insisted that whenever these groups were to be moved in the building they ought to be regimented in twos. That i s , when boys moved from the units to and from work and training placements in the Y.O.U., or, when they moved from units to the library, gym or outside area. The two social workers on staff argued that when boys were moved, they should move at their own pace; but, despite reasons that were advanced, concerning the undesirable 9< Nelson, Elmer K.,'"The Gulf Between Theory and Practice in Corrections" Federal Probation, September, 1954. p. 48 nature of regimentation, i t was not possible to effect a change in this situation at this particular time. However, once the boys were locked in their cells at night, many continued to request to be let out in order to go to the bathroom. This made i t necessary for a member of staff to enter the unit, in order to unlock the cell gate and let a boy out. Numerous calls during the night resulted in one, or more staff having to go into the living quarters, to open cells to let boys out. After a time, this became a source of annoyance to a number of staff members; the social workers, eager to throw light on the "regimentation problem", emphasized to the staff members, the right of the individual to some freedom of movement.. This gained fav-ourable acceptance, and eventually a meeting was held, at which the social workers advanced the idea that there should be greater freedom of movement for the boys; at night, cells should be l e f t unlocked, so that i f a boy wanted to go to the bathroom he could do so. This gained considerable sup-port, but was resisted by some staff members, who argued that locked c e l l gates at night were a necessary limit on the boys in the housing units. There was general acceptance of the desirability of lessening the regimenta-tion in the movement of groups, but only limited support for extending this to include unlocked cells at night. The social workers continued to urge that less regimentation should include open cells. With continued pressure, the administration accepted the proposition, and cells were le f t open at night; groups moved to and from the housing units together, but at their own pace. The movement of groups to and from training areas worked out very well. However, in the units where cells were le f t open, in one unit, some-time during the night, a few bars in the washroom were cut, a l i t t l e at a time, and covered over with black shoe polish to prevent detection during the day. Eventually, access was gained to the outside of the Y.O.U., and four boys escaped.. The fact that only four out of a total of thirteen boys escaped, probably prevented a complete cut-back in the limited gains that had been made. The situation had to be thoroughly aired at a staff meeting, and i t was only after this that there was recognition that, "custodial functions (which set limits on the activity of the delinquent), and treatment functions (which strengthens the individual for more successful activity), are mutually consistent aspects of the same process". 10 In the experience just related, some boys, saw the social workers as "fairy godmothers'? who could do things, for them. This attitude can be directly fostered and nurtured in the minds of boys, by social workers, in their attempts to be helpful. This is often exploited by boys, i f social workers are not able to appreciate and accept the contribution that experienced custodial staff are capable of making. This is not only important for social workers to learn, but i t is important in bringing a l l the disciplines together that are necessary in a correctional institution* Group Work Principles and Contributions Social group work is one of the basic methods employed by social workers, who at one time or another give services to individuals in groups. 11 The"guidelines" suggested by Gisela Konopka are among the best which may be utilized to provide a basis for the ensuing analysis.. She has suggested ten basic group work principles: 1. The function of the social group worker is a helping 10 Nelson, Elmer K. Ibid. p. 50 11 Konopka, Gisela, "The Social Group Work Method: Its use in the Correctional Field", Federal Probation, March 1956, p. 26. or enabling function. 2. ' In determining his way of helping, the group worker uses the scientific method:, fact finding (observa-tion), analysis, diagnosis, treatment. 3. • The group worker must form purposeful relationships with group members., 4. To form meaningful relationships, the group worker needs self-knowledge and discipline in relationship without the loss of warmth and spontaneity. 5. People must be accepted without accepting a l l their behaviour* 6* -It is necessary to start "where the group i s " . 7. The constructive use of limitations. 8 . Individualization. 9* Use of "the interacting process". 10. Understanding and conscious use of non-verbal as well as verbal material* Before proceeding to this, however, i t is necessary to enlarge on the .implications of group work principles for corrections institutions dealing with young offenders.. A concrete application of these principles forms the context of subsequent chapters of this study, (l) The Helping or Enabling Function Central to a l l principles is the worker's belief in the worth of each individual, and his right to manage his own l i f e . Help given by the worker is based on the needs of the individual, as revealed in a group, using the objectives, and values, of the profession of social work.- This^ implies that in helping members of a group, the worker has many roles to play. Gertrude Wilson points out that "the role, whatever i t may be, cannot -.13 -be f u l f i l l e d unless the participating individuals grant the status to the, worker"., 12 In other words, the worker is . i n a position to help, only when members of a group allow him to do so; f i r s t of a l l , therefore, the worker must gain acceptance from "his clients". This is a d i f f i c u l t task under any condition. In a correction institution individuals are confined against their w i l l , and varying degrees of conformity are required. Gaining the acceptance and co-operation in such a setting can be a real challenge. It is not surprising that the entire environment of the institution, i t s effeet on the individual, and the manner in which this can assist or hinder the "helping function" of the worker are receiving increasing attention. As one writer has put i t , I deem i t no mere coincidence that now, with the advent and the rising popularity of group treatment, attention should have become focused on what is known as milieu therapy;; that is, what the entire set-up and atmosphere of any particular locus does to the individual. Perhaps i t is slightly ironical and paradoxical to speak of milieu therapy in an institution devised so largely to be punishment. Yet i f the aim is seen as treatment and reclamation instead of retaliation, there is a logic to some attention to the milieu. 13 (2) Observation, Analysis, Diagnosis and Treatment ' i In carrying out his roles as a helper, the worker must use the scientific method of observing the phenomenon, analyzing i t , and deciding what i t means, before he attempts to do something about i t . The focus of the worker's atten-tion is on the kind, and quality of response that one member e l i c i t s from the 12 Wilson, Gertrude, "The Social Worker's Role in Group Situations". Brochure University of California, Berkley, Calif. 13 Klapman, J. W., "Group Psychiatry, in relation to correctional Psychiatry". The Journal-of Social Therapy, Volume 3, No. 4, 1957, p. 221. other, and the kind and quality of response that the worker e l i c i t s from individual members, and the total membership* This interaction occurs around activities of one kind or another in 'real l i f e situations' that a group, and the worker find themselves in. Observing what occurs, analyzing i t , deciding what i t means, and what the worker should do, wi l l of course be constantly changing as the group developsBecause of this change, the worker must carry out continuous diagnosis* This in turn determines what constructive "roles the worker may f i l l . (3) Purposeful Relationships The worker meets with a group in order to provide a service to that group*. In corrections, Gisela Knopka identifies the purpose of social group work as, the breaking up of delinquent patterns, for gratification -through positive group associations, for emergence of leadership in relation to constructive goals, for partici-pation in administrative questions so as to begin identifi-cation with a sanctioned institution of society* 14 This is of nuclear significance for institutions that are responsible for the rehabilitation of the young offender.. It implies that a worker ought to work directly with small groups as they carry out a variety of activities, for example, when a group sits down at a table to eat. a meal, or participates in a sport, or hobby activity of various kinds.. Wor-king directly with groups of young offenders in this manner is not the same as other methods which have been identified as "guided group in eration", 15 14 Knopka, G., "The Social Group Work Method:. Its use in the Correctional Field"* Federal Probation, March 1956, p* 29. 15 (a) Binkley, F. and McCorkle, R., "Applying the Principles of Group-Therapy in Corrections Institutions", Federal Probation, March I960, pp.. 36-40 (b); McCorkle, L». W., "Guided Group Interaction in a CorrectionalSefe-ting", Int.- Jr. Group Psychotherapy 4r pp. 199-203, 1954., - 15 -16 or "group counselling"* These methods are essentially based on indi-vidual psychotherapy. "That i s , they assume that while group contacts of certain kinds are necessary to individual cases of syphillis and to some individual cases of criminality, both ailments can be "cured in a cli n i c , without reference to those groups. 17 One committee, which was organized to study the problem of treatment concluded that, "in the treatment of individuals our failure to take into account sufficiently the patterns of group relationship may thwart the best treatment endeavours." 18 Donald R. Cressy's comments are likewise pertinents One serious limitation is the sharp distinction which is drawn between the therapy sessions and the remainder of the activities in which inmates participate. Group therapy sessions rarely deal with "natural" groups in prison, e.g., groups of men united by common interests and attitudes. Instead,, inmates are individually selected for participation on the basis of some trait or characteristic such as offence, psychiatric diagnosis, or disciplinary reports, and the group sessions are.sharply defined as something distinct and differ-ent from ordinary prison l i f e . 19 The organization of such "natural" groups of young offenders, and the attempt to provide them with social group work services is one of the major concerns of this study. (4) Self-knowledge, and Discipline, Warmth and Spontaneity The worker not only needs to understand the processes of group l i f e ; he must also understand the dynamics of human behaviour, including his own 16 Fenton, H.., "Introduction to Group Counselling", Pamphlet published by The American Correctional Association, 135 E«. 15th St., New York 3, New York, 1958. 17 Cressy, Donald R.., "Contradictory Theories in Correctional Group Therapy Programmes", Federal-Probation, June 1954, p. 20. 18 Chwart, J., Harari, C , Weisman, I., "Why We F a i l " , Federal Probation, March 1958, pp.. 36-42. . 19 Cressy,, Donald R.., l o c cit.. p* 24. - 16 -behaviour*. In particular, how his own attitude towards the offender may hinder his desire to be helpful* For example, his attitude towards certain crimes that the young offender has committed; his attitude towards very hos-t i l e behaviour, or overly dependent behaviour. Since the youthful offender is l i k e l y to voice bitter and c r i t i c a l attitudes towards parents, teachers or clergymen; and, more than likely to be bitter and c r i t i c a l of law enforce-ment agencies; the worker, as a parent substitute and a symbol of authority, is a convenient target. The worker, in such a circumstance, is unusually susceptible to "distortions in perception". 20 The desire to "put the inmate straight", instead of "working through" in such situtations can be particularly tempting. Although, this is not restricted to corrections, i t is the intensity of the emotions, in a confined setting, that poses a partic-ularly d i f f i c u l t problem for. the worker in corrections. Yet, i t is this very diff i c u l t y that poses a real challenge to the worker in his attempts to provide a service. i (5) Acceptance of People Acceptance of people does not imply liking them as well. It does, however, imply that the worker will render a professional service. A medical analogy is useful, where the doctor or nurse provides a service despite unpleasant smells and sights. This is particularly pertinent in work with the young offender, who is often extremely sensitive to what he might inter-pret as "aloofness" on the part of the worker. Wide differences in cultural background between a youth and a worker, can be a d i f f i c u l t barrier. Com-menting on this, one writer observes that* Youth find i t easier to identify with the currently popular 20; Goldsmith, A. 0., "The Therapist's View of the Delinquent, "Federal Probation, September 1959,, PP» 20-24. - 17 -starlet or with an Elvis Presley* Note the dress, the coiffure, the mannerisms in speech, and the dancing styles of youth.. The tragedy centers around the cold fact that youth cannot find . anyone more glamorous, more exciting, more appealing, among the teachers, the statesmen and politicians, the clergy, the scien-tists that inhabit their world.. 21 (6) Starting Where the Group Is This implies that the worker's role will be determined on the basis of the needs of a group at a particular stage in its development. Help given to a group, therefore, will be dependent on "the degree of ability, and mental health of the group participants". 22 In working with young offenders i t is important, therefore, not to make demands beyond their capacity, nor to underrate their capacity* Gertrude Wilson uses the term, "task-oriented group" and "growth-oriented group", in her discussion of the general purposes of groups. The task-oriented group, as the term implies, is organized for a specific task which is "in the minds of the members, the appointing body (administration),, and the worker himself." 23 For example, i f a group, of boys are given the job of thoroughly cleaning up their housing unit, the wor-ker would transmit directly to the members of a group the job to be done, which needs to be completed in a relatively short period in time. The worker's role would be different, in this task-oriented period of the group's total l i f e , than during "growth-oriented periods"; for example, when a group start-ing "where i t i s " , attempts to develop sufficient s k i l l s so that i t may have a team in order to play soccer of S o f t b a l l . As Gertrude Wilson has pointed 21 Kvaraeeus, W. C, "Some Cultural Aspects of Delinquency", Federal Probation^ March, 1959, p. 11. - • 22 Wilson, Gertrude, loc. Cit. P. 17 23 Wilson, Gertrude, L o c Cit. p. 20. - 18 -out,, "this distinction will never be a pure or absolute one* The difference in this regard i s , however, that the growth-oriented group has no obligation to accomplish a specific task*" 24 (7) , Use of Limitations The members of any group have different interests and needs;; at times, participation wi l l require that a member of a group limit his own interests, in relation to the interests of other members in the group* Many youths find i t unusually d i f f i c u l t to accept limitations,. However, limitations are inherent in some activities that a group may undertake, for example, the rules of a game*. The worker has a responsibility, in such situations, as a result of his on-going diagnosis of the needs of the individual, to provide through his own activity, necessary limitations. In corrections,, the applica-tion..of constructive limitations, in relationship to the needs and interests of a l l the members of a group, is a continuous challenge to the worker. In the constructive use of limitations in a correctional institution there is always a dual aspect*. The individual members of the group, their needs and interests; and, the extreme limiting nature of the environment* (8) Individualization While the worker attempts to understand each individual in a group, i t is how the individual relates to others that is of particular significance* He recognizes that human beings are social, beings, that they are interdependent and that we cannot understand an individ-ual separated from his human and physical environment. 25 The young offenders 1 group associations are of special significance, in the manner he relates to others in a group;; significant to the worker in 24 Wilson, Gertrude, Loc*. Git. p. 19* 25 Knopka, G., Loc... Cit., p*. 25* - 19 -his -efforts to help individuals to relate constructively to others. In this process, the young offender has the opportunity to learn that his own rightsu and interests also include the rights and interests of others.. However, this should not be reduced to an attitude of, "what is good enough for a l l is good enough for one". Corrections institutions make i t almost impossible to pro-vide some privacy to the individuals.. Individuality is lost in uniform dress. The individual is given a number* In some institutions, everyone does exactly the same thing a l l day and every day* Some inmates rebel at the monotony, others become robot-like; they are often referred to as being institutional-ized. It was, no doubt, with this in mind that Bernstein commented that, The man in prison has many conditions imposed on him, but he might be helped to make his own decisions about jobs in p r i -son, recreation, what to do after release and other matters. The point is that the value system of social work requires this maximization of self-determination. 26 (9) The Interacting Process The basis of interaction in a group is the "likes" and. "dislikes" of the individual members* This implies responses between individuals in a group, and between sub-groups within a group. In this process conflict is inevitable, which can be an important source of growth for the individual-members of a group as they are helped to resolve such conflicts* It is of great importance for the young offender to learn to solve problems with others, in a construetive manner* The interaction in a group provides him •real l i f e situations' that he may have been unable to solve;, or, that he resolved in a destructive manner to himself and others.. Such situations provide the worker with inyaluable opportunities for diagnosis, and possible 26 Bernstein, Saul, "Self-determination! King or c i t i z e n in the Realm of Values?" Social Work, Volume 5, No. 1, January I960,"p. 8. - 20 -solution* Gisela Knopka comments that, As limited as our knowledge of dynamics i s , the one thing we know is that the breakdown is not exclusively in the intrapersonal area, but mostly in the interpersonal rela-tionships, 27 (lO), Use of Verbal as Well as Non-verbal Material Individual members of a group express their needs and interest verbally and non-verbally» Ihe_worker must, therefore, be aware of a l l the members, as i t is common for the less vocal to be lef t in isolation* In corrections this can be of particular importance, because some individuals: are terrified at the prospect of being incarcerated for a period of time* Such individuals may display a great deal of dependency on the worker with l i t t l e a b i l i t y to communicate verbally;; the use of such individuals as scapegoats is particularly common in institutions*. Other members of a group may lack s k i l l s and appear "dumb"*, This suggests that the worker must use a wide range of media, some of which may help certain individuals relate them-selves to others* Method of Study The present study examines an attempt which was made to apply group work and related social work principles in a particular correctional institu-tion for young offenders, during the period February 1951, to October 1959*. The Young Offenders 1 Unit, at Oakalla Prison Farm, was opened in 1951 in an attempt to meet the special needs of the youthful offender. It was closed in October, 1959, presenting the opportunity of a review of eight years of experience* It ..is important to remember that the most amenable class of youthful 27 Knopka, G*, Loc* Cit*. p:* 29* offender would not be serving his sentence in Oakalla; in other words, he would morelikely be placed on probation. A l l youthful offenders sentenced to Oakalla were screened by the Classification Committee at Oakalla for possible placement in the 'Borstal' unit, New Haven. The remainder, the 'hard core.1 of youthful offenders are the most likely to appear in the Y.O.U. Such boys present a wide-range of personality disturbances; from a research point of view, the Y.O.U. was experimental-a testing ground in the applica-tion of group work services to an admittedly d i f f i c u l t group. The early stages of the programme, provided leisure-time activities for the youthful offender; this provides the background for the ensuing anal-ysis of the steps by which an individual-based programme is altered to a . group-based approach* The second Chapter then examines the function and emergent roles of counsellors (both men and women), who work directly with the unit groups; as the counsellors, gain the acceptance of their groups, leisure-time activities become diagnostic and therapeutic tools.. Chapter three; focuses on the delinquent relationships within unit groups and the basis for such relationships, and how the counsellors attempt to help the group-as-a-whole and individual members modify such behaviour* Chapter four introduces another dimension to the diagnostic and therapeutic task of the counsellors, as unit groups participate with others in various sports activities; as a result of the analysis, the value of certain sports activities is discussed* This makes i t possible (in Chapter five) to examine the goal of rehabilita-tion, the fact that the youthful offender eventually returns to the community. How can staff, f a c i l i t i e s , equipment, activities contribute to the offenders integration into normal society? A final Chapter evaluates the contributions - 22 -and limitations of group work in corrections, as illustrated by this special milieu* Group process records are utilized throughout, to analyze the three •socialization' developments;: (l) The relationship-building role of the coun-sellors with unit groups;, (2) relationships of the members in the unit groupjs; (3) relationships between unit groups* The I n i t i a l Y.O.U... Programme Before 1951, adolescent offenders in B.C. were segregated, to a considerable degree, in Oakalla's West Wing*. Any of the younger inmates who expressed an interest in improving themselves, became members of what was called the "star group". During the morning and afternoon, some went to school; others worked at various maintenance projects. There were a good, many, however, who did not appear to be interested in doing anything* Furthermore,, in the wing at Oakalla, they continually caused disturbances. They were looked upon as "troublemakers", and were frequently the object of scorn from the older prisoners, and some of the guards.. There was widespreas opinion that as. long as they remained as a part of a larger group of prisoners, very l i t t l e of a constructive nature could be achieved.. In order to provide training for the younger inmate a commission, set up by the Provincial Government to inquire into prison conditions generally, recommended that a l l young offenders between the ages of 16 and 23, who could benefit from training, should be given thisj opportunity* In February 0 f 1951, the Young Offenders' Unit was opened and and given a separate building. The new unit provided a great contrast in comparison to the Oakalla setting*. Comparisons — Old and New In Oakalla, young prisoners were housed, along with older inmates, - 23 -in a wing.. There are three such wings in Oakalla* A wing consists of a long row of cells which run down the centre of the wing*. Each row consists of 20 cells placed back to back, a total of 40 cells, which is called a tier. Tiers are then stacked one on top of the other to form 5 tiers, a total of 200,cells in a wing.. In the Y.O.U., the young offender lived in one of six housing areas called a unit; each unit consisted of thirteen cells. (See Figure l ) •-. -- 24 -O 1 * (Space Used for recreatiorf) .0) =a r H = H I ^ 1 c a> - i. Figure I : Unit Area - 25 -When the young offender was in Oakalla i t might be necessary, due to over-crowding, to be accomodated two in a c e l l ; but, except for a toilet bowl and washbowl with cold water tap, the cell was bare* At the Y.O.U. a l l boys had their own cells.- The population was limited to the number of cells available, a total of 78. Each c e l l at the Y.O.U. contained a bed, plus a small cupboard in which a boy could keep some personal effects. Each unit had generous wash room and shower f a c i l i t i e s with hot and cold water. While he was in Oakalla, the young offender was issued two woollen blankets and a pillow for his bed. He was given a metal cup, and a spoon with which to eat his meals. At meal-times, he had to stand in a long line-up which fil e d past a serving area where food was served on a divided cast iron tray. He then returned to his; cell where he was locked up to eat his meal. Following this, he could either read or write in his c e l l , play cards with his cellmate i f he had ona or go -to sleep. Weather permitting, and at certain times, he could go out with other inmates, young and old, to a small enclosed yard where limited a c t i -vities were possible, such as walking, playing catch, kicking a soccer ball around, and the like. In the Y.O.U., he was issued two sheets, a pillow and pillowease, blankets and a bedspread.- The food was served on individual plates from a central kitchen, and brought to each unit. There, seated around a table with others, he ate his meal with a knife, fork and spoon.. Following the ineai, each unit, which consisted of 13 boys, had the use of ping pong tables, cards, and other small games. A l l six units were also provided with a radio, a number of chairs, including a chesterfield, as well as one or two upholstered chairs. The outside area at Y.O.U* provided ample space for S o f t b a l l , soccer* and other such games.. During periods of inclement weather, he could use a small inside gym, or a library area.. The response to the Y.O.U* setting, on the part of the boys, was immediate and enthusiastic* Ihey were less restric-ted than they had been in Oakalla* There was more space with many more f a c i l i t i e s * They examined, and talked about the showers, the sheets, the furniture in the units, the radios, the knives, forks and spoons. Comparisons between a l l aspects of the old and the new were made. The young offender was now in small groups, which resulted in intense inter-change of opinions between the members* Segregated in their own unit with their peers, which meant that they were removed from older prisoners made i t possible to attempt the reha-bi l i t a t i o n of youthful offenders.. Activities on an Interest Basis At the Y.O.U., from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, the individual boy had a choice of four one hour periods of educational instruction, and sports activ-i t i e s , or, one four hour period of vocational shop instruction.. From 1. p.m. to 5 p.m., he again had a choice of four one hour periods of educational and sports activities, or one four hour period of vocational shop: instruction* For a period of time, while individuals were being placed in various educa-tional and vocational shop areas, boys who had not as yet been placed, went out and played softball or soccer; or, just went for walks in the outside area. Progressively, however, sports activities at these morning and afternoon periods declined. Finally, boys who were as yet unplaced just remained in their units., Some of these boys did not appear to be interested in anything;; others, maintained that the Y.O..U* did not offer them courses they were interested in. Following supper, the hour between 6 and 7 p.m. was designated as a free period to be spent in the unit on activities that were approved- by the Director of the Y.O*U* At this time, boys in the units could read or write in their cells;; or, in the general area of the unit outside of the cells* Ihey could take part in games such as, table tennis, cards, chess, checkers;; or, s i t and listen to the radio, or talk to other boys.. Tor a time, they constructively occupied themselves;, but, inevitably the novelty of the f a c i l -i t i e s became commonplace. Arguments developed, fights broke out.. A number of custodial officers who were responsible for supervising a l l units, by making the rounds, reported that discipline in the units was very poor* In" particular, they reported that some boys, in a number of units, were causing a great deal of trouble. Furthermore, while some were active and took advan-tage of games provided, or read, or did something "constructive", many boys-were openly c r i t i c a l of the Y.O.U., which was expressed in insolence and unco-operativeness. Increasingly, such reports brought about disciplinary action.. Some boys had to be disciplined for using the games provided for gambling;; tobacco, and items, such as butter and dessert were used as stakes. A- number of "brews" were discovered, some as a result of seeing boys who appeared drunk.= While i t was d i f f i c u l t to determine who was responsible for making the "brew"1,;, there were a number of boys who were suspected of being the "ring leaders" in this, as well as other misbehaviours. Disciplinary action resulted in a number of boys being confined to their cells in the units;for one or two days and sometimes longer. From 7 until 9 p.m.•opportunities were provided for hobby and other group activities, as they were called.- These activities were organized in the following manner.. Members of staff who were on-shift at this time, and who had s k i l l s , made up l i s t s of boys from a l l units who were interested in - 28 -taking part in activities that were being offered on a particular night. Alii of those interested would then proceed to the library or gym area where activ-it i e s took place. Hobby activities undertaken included, copperwork, leather-craft, woodcarving, and modelcraft.. Included in "group" activities were such things as, gymnastics', weightlifting, f i r s t aid, and discussions on current events, and music; appreciation. Ini t i a l l y , a number of boys were active in these hobby and "group" activities, but continuity was d i f f i c u l t to maintain, partly due to the policy of rotation of staff members to different shifts. At this period, about 12 or 15 boys of a total of some 60 boys were taking part in one or more hobby or "group" activities which were offered from 7 unti l 9 p.m. The great .majority of boys, therefore," remained in the units. ., In effect, from 5 until 9:30'p.m., when boys were locked in their cells, practically a l l the boys were in the units. Here, they were not under the direct supervision of members of staff. Furthermore, going to and from the unit in order to take part in these hobby and "group" activities, resulted in added dif f i c u l t i e s in the units* The more interested boys, over a period of time, took from hobby areas tools and materials, and set up private hob-bies in their c e l l s * This was particularly true of leatherwork. Items made were being bartered for tobacco and extra f.ood.- Within four months of Y.O.U. 's inception a l l activities outside the units virtually ceased. Staff members increasingly had to be concerned with arguments and fights; as well as other disturbances that were occurring in the units. Activities as Incentives . ., When the Y.O.U. was opened, and the younger men were transferred to the Unit, i t was assumed that i f opportunities were available for constructive - 29 -use of leisure time, the boys would take advantage of it . . Furthermore, a l l of the hobby and "group." activities were offered as privileges, following the day's educational, work, and training programme.- It is not the concern of this „study to discuss the development of this important part of a total rehabilitation program:, 28 but, the leisure time activities were a kind of "frosting on the cake" which were calculated to provide some incentive for the boys to work hard and apply themselves, in the work, educational, and vocational areas of the Y.CU.ls programme* Fritz Redl and David Wineman in their book, Controls From Within, comments on this particular approach* Let us assume that, because they are so disturbed, the educator really tries to provide them with rich recreational opportunities and sufficient channels for "constructive fun". If the-door is open, they should step through, theoretically, and leave behind their, peculiar addiction to mischief, destruction, and many varieties of hostile vandalism. 29 In the Y.O.U. the provision of games in the units, and opportunities for hobbies and other activities seemed in themselves, to create problems for many of the boys. This reaction has been observed before:; They simply do not react as we would want them to and some of them even get worse, because something about the very attempt to lure them out of their pathology makes their defences "work overtime"* 30. The difficulty that the Y.O.UJ. was experiencing in its attempts to, provide constructive leisure time activities was centered in the units* In the units, boys were members of group,s with no direct supervision by staff* They were "l e f t to their own devices." In a.sense, the situation that existed when these same youths were in the community vfas transferred to the Y.O.U. 28 Clark, D..L., "Vocational Training and Its Role In the Rehabilitative Process", .M.S..W. Thesis,, U.B.C, 1954« 29" Redl, F. and Wineman, D*, Controls from Within, The Free Pressi, Glen-coe, III., 1952, p.. 22-23* 30 Ibid..— 24-25. setting. There was no one in the units, who was able to assist in the development of positive activities;; therefore, the units responded to the essentially delinquent influences that emerged within each group,. Further-more, the entire programme at the Y.O.U. was increasingly being threatened by the attitude.of some members of staff. One staff member expressed this feeling by saying that, "most of the inmates just don't appreciate what wa^ being done for them;; they should be • smartened-up*» The implication was that the Y.0..U.. should "get tough".. The administration, however, decided that since one major difficulty had to do with the groups in the units, group-wor-kers should be part of the staff* Two group.; workers were subsequently recruited, and the challenge was presented to them to "go out to the Y.0.U* and see what you can do."1 Definition of Function and Clarification of Roles When a social worker is employed by an agency, his function with that agency is usually defined. The mandate the workers were given by the Y.O.Uo, was somewhat indefinite;; but, whether a worker's function is clearly stated or not, however, he can only carry out his role as a group worker, i f he gains the acceptance of those to whom he will be providing his professional services., The immediate task at the Y.O.U. was to get a better idea of the function of the worker;; as well as to gain a measure of acceptance. Many of the boys at the Unit, could best be described as being "at loose ends"* For a number of reasons, they were not taking any part in the educational or vocational training offered* Following the morning and after-noon clean-up; chores, the worker (who was given a l i s t of these boy's names) went with them to a hobby area* Here, i t was planned, a number of activities - 31 -might be developed such as copperwork, woodearving, drawing, by exposing the members to materials and tools, and giving them some basic instruction. This, for the time being, would establish some i n i t i a l roles. At this stage, the workers were very conscious of the bars, and locked gates, and experienced some of the feelings of being locked up in a certain area. The boys, for their part, were very disgruntled. It was soon apparent that many individuals in this particular grouping did not " f i t in" anywhere.. Some had already been disciplined for insolence and unco-operative behaviour;, others had been told that they would be returned to Oakalla i f their attitude did not improve. Usually,, in these morning and afternoon sessions, there would be from twelve to fifteen boys. This number did not necessarily arrive together at the beginning of any one session. It was common for eight or nine to be in attendance when hobby activity began at nine or one p.m., and then for others to be brought into the area. A few, perhaps three or four, were very interested in making some item with the materials and tools that were provi-ded* In any group, members u t i l i z e various ways of getting to know others. Conversation for some, centered only on the hobby* Boys asked for tools to be passed to them; then they enquired from others and the worker, how to go about making some item. Others talked in twos or threes, and seemed to want to avoid getting involved in anything. Occasionally, they would look at someone else who was busy making something. Some displayed indifference to the worker's presence, while others wanted to know i f he would be working steadily at the Y.O.U.. The worker talked with numerous individuals and got various responses. Typically, they were f u l l of prison slang. "I've only got 3 and a get up, then I ' l l be out of this place." "Joe is doing rough time;; he doesn't talk very much." "If they would just get off my back, I'd be O.K. They're always bugging you about something; why don't they just let you do your own time?" "If I hadn't been with that gang that night, and got drunk, I wouldn't be in here;: it's a bum beef*" "We were going to Kamloops — me and my buddy — and we got tired of walking*. Me and my buddy saw this car; we wired i t , and we had to kick in a joint to get some gas* The cops caught up to us, a few miles up the drag." "The scoff here ain't bad, but there ain't enough dummy.." "I wish I was short as Pete, I've s t i l l got six and a big butt*" "Anybody got any weed?" The constant use of slang 31 gave the worker an entry.. Although some members of the group were surprised he didn 1t know, there was always someone who would t e l l him in great detail what the terms did mean*. It proved to be the introduction to their world;; a kind of "let's see what he'll think" attitude, was apparent, on the part of the boys;, they could use i t to "test out" the worker.. Movement Towards Acceptance During the f i r s t month or so, membership in the groups changed daily; but, the activities gradually began to produce results.. A number of copper pictures were completed, and these were hung in the hobby area. Some of the makers asked i f they could be allowed to take their hobbywork and hang them in their cells in the unit.. Considerable satisfaction in what they had accomplished, and a certain sense of pleasure in having accomplished some-thing, was much in evidence* Other members of the group displayed very low frustration level while working with materials* If the material used, for example, copper, did not respond the way some felt i t should, i t was quite often thrown to one side. One or two boys appeared to be very unhappy and moody, and with these, quarrels often broke out*. Some boys did not seem to 31. See appendixt Glossary of terms. - 33 -mind being in j a i l ; others fel t they should have been placed on probation or received a suspended sentence. Co-operation was limited. Attempts by the worker to involve them in such tasks as clean-up, did not progress beyond individual willingness to help; usually the same boys volunteered for clean-up chores. The worker's role during this period had originally been focused on helping individuals to get started at making hobbies, through showing them "how to do i t " ; at the same time, the worker encouraged as many contacts between members of the group as possible by suggesting that a boy who had asked about "how to do something", obtain the necessary information from an-other boy who knew. There v/as limited acceptance of the worker at this stage, and only a l i t t l e progress could be made. A "break" came when one of the boys asked the worker i f he would come into a unit and eat with them. This invitation was of course accepted. One member of the group took the initiative, and told the worker where to s i t . The food was brought to the table on individual plates by the kitchen crew, the food being eaten with l i t t l e i f any conversation. Generally, the boys ate quickly. Some boys, when finished, went to their cells, stretched out on their beds and read or slept. A few remained at the table and talked. The general tone was that " a l l j a i l s are the same, but some are worse than others". The Y.O.U.' was not bad, but there was not much to do. Most of the complaints that the worker had heard earlier were repeated. It was two or three weeks before they began to "open up" in the unit and in the hobby area. Complaints were aired, particularly concerning work and vocational placement; this usually had reference to their belief that they were not learning anything. Some bragged about the offences they - 34 -had committed, the g i r l s they had known, the p a r t i e s they had been i n . Some raised the old complaint of being "bugged" by a p a r t i c u l a r s t a f f member, and they asked the worker to do something about i t . For example, one inmate had been reported f o r swearing at a s t a f f member; as a r e s u l t , he had l o s t 10 32 . , days remission i n Warden's Court. He f e l t he should not have " l o s t time" as the s t a f f member he swore at was "on my back a l l the time, and I . j u s t got mad". H o s t i l i t y such as expressed by t h i s boy can be the r e s u l t of i n e f f e c t i v e s t a f f performance; or, i t may r e s u l t from a boy's s u b s t i t u t i o n of s t a f f f o r o r i g i n a l objects of h o s t i l i t y . Such a t t i t u d e s , can be i n d i c a t i v e of a b a t t l e against change, which F r i t z Redl and David Wineman have analyzed from t h e i r studies and grouped under four main headings* 1. The b a t t l e with t h e i r conscience — " S u r e I s t o l e the s t u f f but I r e a l l y needed i t . " 2. The search f o r delinquency support — "Gosh, how could I help h i t t i n g the guy, you know what a bad temper I have." > 3. A d i r e c t defence against change — " I ' l l make them act l i k e those bastard cops. Then I can keep hating t h e i r guts. Then I'm safe against g i v i n g i n . " 4. Mechanized warfare against change agents — "Blaming me because I'm a crook?" This makes us out to be i l l o g i c a l , s t upid and mean. 33'-Such t a c t i c s have been learned by the youthful offender i n an attempt to deal with c o n f l i c t s that are e s s e n t i a l l y i n the area of interperson-a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s . They were to become our d a i l y experience with the youthful offender i n the months ahead. But by working d i r e c t l y with small groups, a 32 A l l sentenced prisoners are granted a reduction of t h e i r sentence on the b a s i s of 52 days f o r each year of sentence or proportion thereof, subject to continued good behaviour. 33 Redl, F. and Wineman, D., Loc. C i t . pp. 19-20. ... 35 -group worker has the opportunity to help, solve these conflicts.. This is the most d i f f i c u l t service a social worker is called upon to perform* Everything that has happened to these boys,, everything that is happening to them in the institution is "grist for the mill" , but, the group worker, unlike some professional workers in an institution, cannot remain isolated from his c l i -ents*. He is not "protected" in an office behind a desk, or can he avoid &, client because he is "not suited for treatment". The group worker is in the front line, where "the weighty issues of causation and cure of pathology stare us in the face*" 34 34 Redl, F.-, and Wineman, D. Loc* Cit*. p. 25 CHAPTER 2 STARTING A GROUP PROGRAMME Establishing the Function of the Counsellors As already indicated, a start had been made in forming some relationship between the boys and staff. This had been possible through contacts during hobby, sports, and other activities, and daily contacts in the routine of the Y.O.U. A l l this, however, was an individually-based relationship, and up to thi3 point, no staff member, except for brief periods of time during the mid-day meal, had spent any amount of time with groups of boys in the units. Furthermore, some administrative changes were made. The work, educational, and trades training aspects of total programme were assigned to the 7 - 3 p.m. period. This was to be called the Vocational programme. The leisure time activities, such as hobbies, sports, etc., were assigned to the 3 - 11 p.m. period. This was to be called, the Socialization programme, or group-based programme. Six members of staff, called Counsellors,^ were to work with the six unit groups, each of which contained 13 boys. They were to be inside the units with a particular group of boys, instead of outside the units as had been the case. In accordance with this plan, the counsellors came on duty at 2:45 p.m. They signed the daily register, picked up their unit gate key from a custodial officer, unlocked the unit gate, went into a unit, and locked the gate after them. The counsellor's immediate concern was with, "what do we do?" 1 This term will be used to identify a member of staff who works in a unit with a group of boys. For purposes of differentiation, a staff member who has Social Work training will be referred to as worker. - 37 -Essentially, this meant a need to clarify their function. The worker who was in charge of the group-based programme, had had one or two meetings with the counsellors before they were assigned to unit groups. He had explained that these boys were in j a i l because they had not been able to live in society, and obey the accepted laws. He emphasized that a l l teenagers have some dif f i c u l t i e s in sorting out their feelings towards authority figures. This, in many ways, would be much more d i f f i c u l t for these boys who had been arrested, and were now held in custody. Since staff members represented authority figures, whatever our intentions and hopes, a good deal of hostility towards members of staff was to be expected. The importance of setting limits in the unit groups, and being firm about such limits was stressed, as one way of being helpful to the unit members. This was equally as important, as helping them to organize and develop collective activities. There would, no doubt, be many problems; but, the best course would be to work these out as we went along. The worker in charge of the group-based programme had given some concrete information regarding what the counsellors might experience in the units; but, he had also stressed the use of scientific method in work with groups, that i s , observation, analysis, diagnosis and plan of action. This was the essence of the remarks made, that, "we would work this out as we went along". Struggles with the Function At the outset, the counsellors in the units displayed a wide variety of attitudes towards their groups. Some counsellors appeared fright-ened, and remained close to the wall facing their groups. Others, spent a great deal of time going out of the units, and back to the units on a number - 38 -of errands, such as getting a table tennis ball, a deck of playing .cards, writing paper, and numerous other items that boys requested. Other counsellors went into the units, sat down, and read a book, waiting perhaps, for some boy to ask for something. Others, having been informed by the worker in charge of the programme that a written record of what went on in the group would be required, and that this should be done between.10 and 11 p.m. after "lights out", periodically made notes in a l i t t l e book while in the units. Other counsellors played cards, table tennis, and other such games with members of their group, and generally circulated in the unit, and talked with one youth and then another. At this stage, being in a unit, was a new experience for a l l the counsellors, and inevitably this would have its effect on the boys for some time to come. Furthermore, since the work and training programme ended at 3 p.m., the period from 3 to 5 p.m. would continue to be a time when the boys relaxed. However, at a later stage of the group programme, scheduled athletic games were introduced during the 3 to 5 p.m. period. At 5 p.m., when the evening meal was served, a new procedure was adopted. Formerly, food was brought into the units on individual plates, and the meal was eaten seated at a table. Now, each unit in turn would be responsible, on a group basis and in rotation, for preparing the evening meal. The food was served in bowls and on platters, and eaten "family style" at long tables, 13 boys and their counsellor to a table, which were set up in the guard walk area (see Fig. l ) . The Y.O.U. cook (who worked a 7 - 3 p.m. shift) prepared in advance, and l e f t in the oven, such dishes as spaghetti and meat balls, macaroni and cheese, meat loaves, and the like, so that a unit would just have to boil potatoes and make the tea. Unfor-tunately, the kitchen area was very small, and the situation that developed 3? - 3 9 -was usually chaotic, Food was often l e f t in the- oven too long, and some of i t got overcooked. In such crowded quarters, the sharing of tasks between thirteen boys became extremely d i f f i c u l t . The more cooperative person would 'pitch in', and the less cooperative would throw pots and pans around. Numerous quarrels and fights erupted. Conflicts developed between boys, and between counsellor and boys. Once the serving of food to the unit groups got under way, new d i f f i c u l t i e s were added. Youths returning to the kitchen area, after serving food to a particular unit, frequently came back in a blustering mood. Some of the receiving units accused the unit in the kitchen of not giving them a f a i r share of the food, and they were going to "get even" when i t was their turn to go into the kitchen; or, tonight's meal was not edible, and i t was this unit's fault. This might be further coloured, by the boy who returned to the kitchen, adding that the kitchen group had been accused of saving the best portions for themselves. The counsellors in the unit, on the other hand, preparing for the supper meal would invari-ably notice at least-one of the boys, as soon as they were let out of the units, and before anybody was settled at the table, counting the number of pieces of butter, cake and other items of food, to make sure the unit had* not been short-changed. Some boys, in the unit group, would invariably take too much food, so that by the time the food circulated, the last two or three.boys got l i t t l e , i f any food. Arguments would occur, tempers would be on edge, and requests to pass the bread or salt, with liberal quantities of profanity, resulted in bread.and salt thrown from one boy to another. While some might look upon this as a joke, others would take offence; i f arguments flared, they would sometimes end in a fight. If a counsellor supported one side or another, he v/as likely to aggravate the situation. The counsellor in attempting to settle arguments, and get an equitable sharing of the food, as well as somehow eating his own meal, had the added task of dealing with complaints about the quality and quantity of the food. In such situations, the counsellor was apt to be the focus of the group's hostile feelings; group solidarity often found expression in statements that, "next time they were in the kitchen, they would get even with that so-and-so unit 4", or whatever unit happened to be in the kitchen. Once the evening meal was eaten, one boy in rotation v/ould be responsible for clearing the table, cleaning i t , and sweeping the guard walk area, and returning the dirty dishes to the kitchen for washing. The counsellor in the kitchen would now face the task of getting his group organized in washing the dishes, pots and pans, putting a l l these items away, and finall y disposing of the garbage. For the counsellor, at these times, i t was a matter of just trying to survive. On one occasion, during the wash-up period in the kitchen, the worker had l e f t the kitchen area for a moment when a violent quarrel exploded in that area, he asked what was wrong, and was met by an overly-wrought boy holding a large carving knife in his hand, hollering profanities, and threatening to "stick the knife right through your gut". Only the worker's abi l i t y to identify with the pressures and frustrations that this boy had been exposed to, talking quietly to him, until he put the knife down, prevented a serious situation from developing. In the evening, from 7 to 9 p.m.? a unit had a choice of a number of activities. Boys could play table tennis or cards, listen to the radio, or write letters, or perhaps l i e on their beds and read. Weights for weightlifting, and mats for tumbling were popular with some, and could be brought into the units. Individuals could pursue such hobbies and crafts - 41 - •- '' . as leathercraft, eopper tooling, or aeroplane model building. Weight-l i f t i n g , usually brought a request that the counsellor get a tape measure to note the growing size of muscles which would be entered in a book by a member of the weightlifting sub-group. He would also keep a careful record of the weightlifting ability of this group. In a l l units a number of boys were interested in playing cards, and,this in general was the most favoured pastime. Competing activities could easily bring conflict,_ however. The card players, or -table tennis players,.or weightlifters, or those who wanted to read or write would complain about the loudness of the radio, or the choice of programme. A great deal of abuse would be directed at a more passive boy who had been 'living' the Lone Ranger's exploits and had turned up the volume so as not to miss a particularly t h r i l l i n g episode. The more aggressive boys, joining in chorus from a l l areas of activity in the unit, demanded that he turn that 'goddam kid stuff o f f . Usually, some boys in a unit group wanted to leave the unit area between 7 and 9 p.m., and go to the gym to play floor hockey, dodgeball, or other such activities. Perhaps 3 or 4 might wish to go, the others wanting to remain in the unit, and carry on with whatever they were doing. By the time the minority had argued with the majority about wanting to stay and 'do nothing' or that, "this group never went to the gym", their original enthusiasm was apt to be dissipated. A common rebuttal takes the form of, "Why should I do your time?" " I ' l l do i t my way, you do.it your way." The counsellor in such situations, could easily produce added di f f i c u l t i e s i f he supported one side or the other in such arguments. Nevertheless, conversations can be developed in the midst of these exchanges, and between arguments and expression of interests of one kind or another the counsellor may be asked, "Why do you work at the Y.O.U.?" "Are you married?" "What did you do before you came here?" "Did you see the ballgame last Saturday?" "Who will win the heavyweight fight next Friday in New York?" "Have you been in trouble with the*law?" The boys were naturally curious to "get to know" the counsellors, and asking questions is one way of finding out. This in turn provided an opening for the counsellors to ask the boys some questions. Some inmates talked very l i t t l e , others were quite vocal. Typical attitudes of some of the members are that he believes Y.O.U. is better than Bisco, and says its a good thing he came here. People in general he doesn't trust. He feels, he has no reason to trust them, although he trusts a few. His girl-friend probably rates highest in his trust. He feels his sentence is unjust, and this makes him despondent when he sees other boys at Y.O.U. with shorter sentences for the same offence. He is not going to return home when released, and believes i t was his father who sent him to Bisco, however, he doesn't know what to think, because his mother says she was the one who sent him there. Another boy says that, "the cops give him a 'rough time' a l l the time, and he is planning ways of getting even. Judges do not worry him, but he feels his sentence is too severe (two years less one day for ten charges of breaking and entering). He repeats over and over his hatred of "dicks". They told him i f he spilled everything, he would get off easy; when he did, they 'gave him the works'. He insists he would never squeal on his pals, but i f he had not told them about a l l the other offences he committed, he would only have been charged with one breaking and entering. He. said the detectives had referred to his gang as the "B.B.-gun bandits". He'll escape i f he gets the chance, and is not worried about a job. He says he is getting to be an expert in "punching safes". Like the previous informant, he is 19 years old. Another boy brags about his gang. "You've - 43 -heard of the Seventy-Two Club in Vancouver? Well, I started that Club." He fought the zoot suiters. He wore semi-rdrapes, and they, wore drapes. Although he started the club, he wasn't in command — he was second. "It wouldn't do fo r a . l i t t l e guy like me to be head of that number of guys." This boy has an older half-brother he regards as a "sissy". "I'd like to get him into trouble." He then goes on to-speak of mother and step-father. "You know, my mother is not true to my step-father.- She fools around with a l l sorts of. guys, goes on drinking parties with them. If she was my wife I don't know what I'd do to her. I could- t e l l you things that went on at home that would make your hair curl. I like my mother, but.what I'd do to her i f I, was her husband!" This from a youngster.aged only fifteen, serving two years on four, charges of break-ing and entering. At around.8:30 p.m. the unit that prepared the evening meal prepares- the evening refreshment. The Y.O.U. cook baked cookies, cakes,; or bread; peanut butter or jam would also be available to a l l units. This was accompanied by cocoa served out in pots, one for each unit. The counsellor in the kitchen at this time, had few di f f i c u l t i e s , in comparison with preparations for serving the- supper meal. Perhaps the most prevalent difficulty, was the tendency for the kitchen unit to provide toast for a few other units, causing repeated threats from the neglected units to "get even". The. preparation and serving of the evening refreshment, however, usually proceeds at a-much less hectic pace than did the preparation, serving and supervision of the supper meal, so that by 9:-30- the unit group who are in the kitchen has completed i t s task and on returning to the unit prepares for bed and is locked in cells for the night. For the unit groups - 44 -not involved in kitchen chores at.8:30 p.m., there was always a great . amount of scrambling for bread and peanut butter or jam; cookies, cakes, or whatever food was available to the unit groups. The possibility of some boy taking more than his share was ever present, and arguments over this, frequently arose. However, once this momentarily strained situation had passed, the boys sat around and talked, or finished a card game they had been playing, or listened to the radio, and were apt to argue, once again, over the programme. The locking of cells at 9*30 p.m. is another occasion.for bring-ing out a l l manner of resistance from unit groups, a typical sequence is as follows. Some boys would choose to use the toilet just at this time; others sat on chairs and waited as long as.possible, and some might make a personal issue-of the counsellor's request that they go into the cells, by asking the. counsellor, ''if he thought he was big enough to put them in their cel l s " . Others, just carried out washroom and toilet routine and went to their cells. Following lock-up of a l l inmates, counsellors, received numerous requests. Typical requests would involve the counsellor getting someone a drink of water, getting tobacco and papers left.on a.chair, or in the washroom, or he might be called over to an inmate's cell who wanted to be let out.to..go'to the washroom. Such requests continued after lights-out, at 10 p.m., during the time that counsellors were attempting to compile a record of the day's events. Furthermore, many disturbances occurred at this time. On one instance, someone had put something in a boy's bed, which turned out to be a fish head. On many occasions someone would t e l l a joke, and this caused a round of laughter and hollering, until fina l l y the unit were told to "keep quiet". This might result in further outbreaks, and abusive language towards the person who attempted to settle _ 4 5 -the unit. At 11 p.m. the shift ended. Commenting on this early stage of the group programme one Custodial Officer remarked. "The discipline is no better than what i t was before this programme began, in fact i t seems to be worse." Clarification of Function To the members of staff who had been at the Y.O.U. during the period when no staff member was with each unit group, the group-based programme seemed, as many put i t , "Just a case of doing things the hard way". A staff member with no prior experience at the Y.O.U., could easily understand this, because for the f i r s t month the group-based programme was in effect, the counsellors were exhausted. The unit groups had been on their own, with no member of staff in the units for a long enough period of time, so that each group had developed its own leadership. For some boys in the groups, the arrival of the counsellors undoubtedly posed a threat. Furthermore, to see counsellors, as symbols of authority, who were not sure what to do, must have provided the essentially negative leadership in the groups with a situation that could be easily exploited. However, the clarification of the counsellor's function in relation to certain routines, such as preparing meals, and the eating of food "family style", was urgently needed. This would also provide a basis for discussing. ;group work principles. At staff meetings, the worker in charge of the programme, agreed that a group-based programme in this setting, and with these particular groups, would be much more d i f f i c u l t than the individual approach that had been the practice. The needs of this particular group were discussed to a limited extent; but, i t was obvious that matters of routine and the urgent - 46 -problems.of what to do in specific situations could determine the survival of the counsellors. Every conceivable aspect of the kitchen area, supper time routine, and unit area were discussed. The clarification of routines and establishing certain procedures became a major tool in helping to clarify the function of the counsellors with their unit group. The Kitchen The kitchen area was too small, only 35' x 1 5 I n such a small area, the counsellors were faced with an impossible task, in preparing the food, and serving i t to the units. Food in a correctional institution is an important source of gratification, and ought to provide as pleasurable an experience as possible. This was an important matter to keep in mind when helping a group do an adequate job in the kitchen area. Each counsellor must present these problems and solve them with his own group. Counsellors in the kitchen must make sure of an equitable sharing of food to. the units, and they were asked not to give certain jobs in the kitchen to boys, who proved unable to do.such tasks. For example, care should be taken to make sure that boys who were responsible for setting out portions of food to the units should do exactly this, and to help those who couldn't do i t to reach the point where they would be able to do so. In this way individual differences are taken into account, and, boys are also helped to achieve a reasonable standard. From subsequent staff meetings, the practice of taking a l l members of the unit group into the kitchen was altered. Only 3 or 4 boys were assigned to the final preparation and serving of food, while another 3 or 4 to do, on a rotation basis, the clean-up duties in the kitchen area. -Preparation, Serving and Eating Meals The sharing of food "family style" proved almost hopeless in some - 47 -units. In others, i t continued as a constant source of trouble between boys. Why not, asked some counsellors, serve each person his own plate of food, as had been done during the early .period at the Y.O.U.? This, i t was f e l t , would eliminate a l l the arguments and fights which inevitably carried over into the unit groups following the meal. This part of programme was considered essential. Here was a ' l i f e situation' that involved a l l members of a unit group, and i t was an excellent tool in helping the boys to learn to share with others. Such situations provide opportunities of observing attitudes of the boys, which would gradually enable the counsellors to get to know the members of their groups. One of the counsellors wanted ,to know whether food should be taken off the plates, i f one boy took too much food? No, was the recommendation, talk i t over with the unit group. You will find that many boys are. concerned about not getting their share of food, and you can show that this becomes a group responsibility. The counsellor as a representative of authority, and an adult was discussed. For a good number of boys, this would rep-resent a different kind of adult, than they had perhaps known. The importance of "f a i r play", was emphasized in such situations rather than a 'dog eat dog' attitude. The counsellors reported that the only members of the unit who appeared to be concerned about food, were those who were not getting their share, and they were usually the more withdrawn or lower-status members of the group. Membership in a group was discussed, and how the rights of one member of the group depend on his respect for the rights of others. This would not occur overnight with these youngsters, but these were goals that the counsellors should keep in mind, something that the group should be helped to achieve. Intermediate steps towards this goal were discussed. This might involve one boy taking turns in going out to the - 48 -table, before the group is let out for supper, and doing some sharing of the food, at that time, under the supervision of the counsellor. A l l groups,, however, should be helped to meet the challenge of completely sharing the food "family style" when everybody is seated at the table: when the group-as-a-whole really do think of the other fellow. Any youth who persistently demonstrated lack of ability in sharing food with others, should be referred to the worker who was in charge of the programme. Hobbies, Games on an Individual Basis Some counsellors were frankly surprised that they were able to get activities going in the unit, at a l l ; others, expressed the opinion that many boys in the units did l i t t l e more than sleep or read. Other counsellors reported that when they attempted to get some of the boys to participate, they became quite hostile, and wanted to be l e f t alone. A l l counsellors reported the presence of a certain number of boys in a l l units, who tended to dominate activities. This was particularly evident in the hobbies that were being made by a relatively small number. It had been the custom to allow boys to have tools and material in their own cells, a practice that had originated earlier; but, other boys who were interested or whose interest might be developed, had difficulty in obtaining the necessary tools. Further-more, leather wallets, belts, and the like, were being bartered for tobacco and food. Under such circumstances, an individual could exploit others, and no doubt many quarrels and fights resulted because of this situation'. This appeared to be a dilemma. On the one hand, boys had been encouraged to share a l l the f a c i l i t i e s ; but, some boys had control of tools which made this impossible. In one unit, as an example, when the counsellor had attempted to make tools available to a l l members of his group, one boy had boastfully • • - 49 -proclaimed, that, " I ' l l k i l l the f i r s t b that comes near my c e l l " . This was not only the resistance of one boy. It was resistance that was supported by a number of boys in his unit, and by boys in other units. It is partly a resistance against change, but, more important, i t is an attempt to perpetuate an individual advantage at the expense of others. This is a common situation that develops in many institutions. Gradually, a whole constellation of individual advantages are seized by certain inmates, and these are protected by every expedient that comes to hand. An administration can view this in one of two basic ways. One, i t is a "necessary" e v i l . Disciplinary action may be taken against the more flagrant abuses; or, individuals in positions of privilege may be used to keep others in line. This inevitably ends with the institution being "run by the inmates". Such an institution will reflect a l l the delinquent values that, as an agency of society, i t is supposed to oppose. The second basic attitude that can be held by the administration holds that, i t is a "necessary" ev i l , only i f i t is allowed to develop. It develops because inmates have more than the bare essentials of food, clothing and shelter, and because inmates are "crooks", "cunning", and can't be trusted, you give them nothing. This inevitably results in the prisoner "just doing time", and may result in f a i r l y well organized disturbances against the administration, some of which can be 2 serious. This, briefly, was the situation that faced the group-based pro-gramme at this stage in i t s development. Important Social Work principles were involved. It was necessary to emphasize the rights of a l l individuals, including the youth who symbolized the resistance, and i t was necessary to place adequate limits so that theory could be translated into practice. 2 Sykes, Gresham M., op. c i t . (see Chapter 5, in particular) - 50 -Hobbies, Games on a Group Basis The worker in charge of the group-based programme explained the situation to the counsellors, and meetings were held with boys in the unit groups. It was explained that a l l hobby and craft tools and materials were to be turned in. Each unit would then be issued a share of tools and equip-ment, which would be placed in a box with the unit's number marked on i t . When counsellors arrived on shift, they would simply pick up their unit box, and take i t into the unit. Leather, copper and other supplies would be issued to units from a l i s t made up by each counsellor. A l l boys would be allowed to keep one item of anything that was made, provided, that they made one item of equal value for the Y.O.U. The Y.O.U. would s e l l such items, and with the funds, additional equipment and supplies would be pur-chased. Every boy could pursue his own interest in hobbies, and games, but the interests of others would have to be respected. Furthermore, the efforts of the individual would contribute towards providing items for his own use, as well as for the use of others. Most of the boys handed in tools and equipment. A few boys resisted; one boy, as has already been mentioned, refused to give up the tools and equipment he had in his possession. The worker in charge of the programme had interviewed this boy, and following the interview he was not returned to his, unit. The counsellor in his unit, and the worker, removed the boy's cupboard from his c e l l , and in the presence of the boy, his personal belongings and Y.O.U. tools and equipment were sorted out. The boy was understandably hostile, and remained aloof; but, gradually he began to take part in the sorting out process. In a corrections institution i t is often necessary to exercise the authority which is vested in the staff. This is one example of the constructive use of such authority. - 51 -... The working through of an individual-based approach to hobbies, and games, to a group-based approach d i d not solve a l l problems, i t did however, e s t a b l i s h an important basis which helped to c l a r i f y the f u n c t i o n of the counsellors. Some, for example, again r e f e r r e d to t h e i r lack of s k i l l s i n hobbies and games. This would have to be met by teaching coun-s e l l o r s some basic hobby, c r a f t and game s k i l l s . A number of persons on s t a f f had such s k i l l s , and taught them to others; i n d i v i d u a l s from the community were also brought i n to increase the s k i l l s of s t a f f . Further-more, some boys i n a l l u n i t groups had a number of s k i l l s i n t h i s area. Counsellors helped such boys, teach t h e i r s k i l l s to others. In t h i s way, the boy gives of h i s s k i l l to others; he learns to share with others and gets s a t i s f a c t i o n i n h e l p i n g others. S p e c i f i c examples of the help given by the counsellors to t h e i r groups were c i t e d i n s t a f f meetings by the worker i n charge of the program. Three boys i n a u n i t wanted a f o u r t h f o r bridge, but were not able to r e c r u i t a f o u r t h member. The counsellor made the fourth, but he only played u n t i l he saw another fe l l o w anxiously watch-i n g from a distance. The counsellor then moved out of the game, and asked another inmate for a game of table tennis. Following three or four games, the counsellor suggested a game of doubles, instead of s i n g l e s . Five boys were eager to play. This did not occur, but the counsellor suggested to one of the f i v e i n -mates that perhaps they would a l l l i k e to see the wood carvings that some boys had made. They a l l proceeded to where others were carving wood and compared work. Numerous " t i p s " on work i n wood were exchanged. From such examples, the counsellors gained some i n s i g h t i n t o the concept that hobbies and games are not ends i n themselves, but are tools that can be used to help boys w i t h i n a group to grow and develop. Concept of Role , A great deal of " s o r t i n g out" was necessary before the group-- 52 -based programme was able to e s t a b l i s h a few necessary ro u t i n e s , and some of these have been discussed. Furthermore, once routines became more f a m i l i a r to the c o u n s e l l o r s , they began to report, on what was going on i n the u n i t s . This afternoon I was informed that there was m a t e r i a l a v a i l a b l e to r e b u i l d our table tennis table which was i n poor con d i t i o n . I mentioned t h i s to my group, and the majority of them agreed to r e p a i r the table a f t e r supper. Joe, one of the leaders, how-ever, wanted to b u i l d a small magazine rack. I informed the group that once we had repaired the table tennis t a b l e , I would get the m a t e r i a l to b u i l d a magazine rack. Joe then went to a l l the boys and t r i e d to persuade them not to r e p a i r the t a b l e , but did not succeed i n t h i s ; however, he went to his c e l l and sulked f o r most of the evening. He did make one e x i t , however, and brought out two tobacco cans to which he had attached a piece of copper wire. He swung them around, and making a t e r r i f i c noise, completely disrupted the u n i t . I f Joe had co-operated with me, and the others who were r e p a i r i n g the t a b l e , the u n i t would have run smoothly. However, he did h i s best to d i s r u p t , and he succeeded. Here i s another counsellor's u n i t report: The u n i t group today was i n constant turmoil as a r e s u l t of Tom's . a t t i t u d e . At various times he has used the f o l l o w i n g t a c t i c s to-ward couns e l l o r : 1. C o n t i n u e d a n& very abusive language. 2. The ' s i l e n t treatment' which would l a s t days. 3« Icy stares and cold hard looks. 4. Go around t e l l i n g u n i t members how counsellor was supposed to be t r e a t i n g him, and s t i r up trouble. 5. C a l l the counsellor a l i a r , l a z y , etc. 6. Attempt to get unit to give counsellor the " s i l e n t treatment". 7 . Refuse to co-operate v/ith the u n i t . Tom w i l l s i t i n h i s c e l l and h o l l e r for the counsellor to come down and see what he wants. " He seldom goes out of h i s c e l l , and when he does i t i s usually i n t o another's c e l l . He has yet to operate decently i n a group, and refuses to take part i n a group l a r g e r than two. He seems to have a strong influence on Jack (another natural leader) who i s h i s only l o y a l supporter. I f he can't get the counsellor to get the u n i t doing what he wants, he w i l l t a l k to Jack i n h i s c e l l and together they w i l l get the u n i t to do what Tom wanted to do. These records are t y p i c a l of what was happening i n a l l u n i t s . They are the kind of problems i n i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s which the youth-- 5 3 -f u l l offender needs help in solving. However, to help boys in solving such difficulties requires the application of group work techniques. Counsellors, at this stage, had become familiar with routines. They were, you might say, familiar with what to do; but, they were just beginning to learn how to do i t . In this chapter reference has been made to the function of the coun-sellor; but, "the person to whom the function is assigned may or may not have the qualifications for the role-fulfillment required to perform the 3 function." Only a few members of staff, at any one time at the Y.O.U., 4 had formal training in Social Work. In providing a service to individuals in groups, the worker, in response to the needs of the group, plays a number of roles. Specifically, he may at one time or another be a. sensitive l i s -tener, or he v/ill be active in helping in solving a conflict that has dev-eloped between two boys. He may give help to a boy who is trying to learn a s k i l l , or he may help a boy teach his s k i l l to another. In many instances the worker may encourage a boy to seek other services, educational, or voca-tional, or a particular boy may show the. need for casework or psychiatric services. In such a situation the worker may undertake an individual inter-view to help in the referral; using what understanding he has of the boy, as he behaves in a group setting, to assist other services in their attempts at helping. A l l of these instances suggest a number of roles that the worker might play in working with a group. "At the same time that he is participat-ing in a group, he is evaluating what he sees, hears, and feels of the total 3 Wilson, Gertrude, op.cit. p. 8. 4 In the final chapter, some conclusions are presented on what can reasonably be expected from staff who are carefully selected, who receive in-service training, but who do not have formal training in Social Work. - 54 -interaction; The identification and fulfillment of his various roles are 5 almost simultaneous. Instantaneous thought and action are required." Concept of Acceptance In a correctional setting, a counsellor with a group of boys is a representative of authority and a parent substitute. He can expect that he will be the recipient of a good deal of hostile feelings, simply because he is handy; he is the adult with the group. Hostile feelings are projected on him by members of the group, individually, and collectively. The experi-ence of the counsellors in the units and the records quoted earlier in this chapter are typical of this fact. The ability to absorb hostility is import-ant in the process of gaining acceptance from a group of youthful offenders. This does not mean that he should just be able "to take i t " . It implies the ability to act purposefully in response to the needs of boys. Sometimes hostile behaviour will require the active limitation of a boy; for example, confined to his cell until he "cools off". At other times, i t may involve ignoring the hostile outburst. In any case, gaining the acceptance of a unit group is essential in providing a service to that group. One of the d i f f i c u l -ties in helping untrained staff with their groups, is their desire to want to know what to do in certain situations. There is a desire to solve group problems, once and for a l l , and to do i t quickly. Gradually, however, some staff members learn that the solution to group problems is a gradual process; that there are no "quick solutions;" that one must proceed by observing, studying, and diagnosing; as a result, roles emerge, which enable staff to 5 Wilson, Gertrude, op.cit. p. 11. - 55 -help members of a u n i t group. The f o l l o w i n g condensed sequence, represents one worker's experience, that was t y p i c a l of other worker's experiences with u n i t groups. V/hen the worker f i r s t came to the Y.O.U., and was assigned to work with a group of boys, who met as a hobby group, i t was noticed, that the more withdrawn and passive boys were f i r s t to t a l k to the worker. They were also youths who appeared to have low status i n the hobby group. The same sequence occurred when the worker was assigned to work with a u n i t group. Furthermore, boys who were more aggressive, and oftentimes openly h o s t i l e , would, at various times, observe the worker very c a r e f u l l y . For example, when the worker was engaged i n di s c u s s i o n with the more passive boys, there •, seemed to be, on the part of the more aggressive boy, a desire to f i n d out, not only what was s a i d , but perhaps, i n a more subtle way, how i t . was sai d . In e f f e c t , what was the worker's a t t i t u d e towards the requests and demands made by the passive boys. At t h i s stage i n .the process of acceptance, there seemed to be, on the part of the aggressive boy, a desire to avoid the worker, not to spend too much time i n conversation with him. S i m i l a r l y , during the playi n g of a game such as table tennis, i t would quite often be the case that the aggressive boy would be grossly u n f a i r to the passive boy. For example, he might be accused of being s t u p i d , and t o l d to get out of the game and l e t someone else play. At such times, i f the worker supported the passive boy, the more aggressive boy might become quite h o s t i l e , and accuse the worker of i n t e r f e r e n c e . Other instances of t h i s occurred when a passive boy was supported while t r y i n g to l i s t e n to a radio program such as, "Superman", "Mickey Mouse", and the l i k e . Such a program appeared to annoy the aggressive boy. Attempts to get the group to discuss games, radio programs, etc., at t h i s stage, would not succeed. The aggressive boys would not wish to get involved i n such discussions. However, gradually, the aggressive boys would become more demanding. At times when i t became necessary to i n t e r f e r e with the aggressive boy he would be very argumentative. This i s an important d i f f e r e n c e , f o r i t would provide opportunities f o r i n v o l v i n g other boys. Instead of bogging down on personal issues, there was the beginning of a capacity to see the i m p l i c a t i o n s on a group basis; that i s , every c o n f l i c t i nvolved other boys i n some way. For example, one day at t h i s stage, the group had returned from- p l a y i n g a game of s o f t b a l l , and had been defeated by another u n i t . One of the aggressive boys announced that he was going to q u i t playing, that he had to play the game a l l by himself. Nobody was g i v i n g him any help. He accused other boys of s t u p i d mistakes, and that the u n i t had l o s t despite anything he could do. He was p a r t i c u l a r l y h o s t i l e towards the passive boys f o r not knowing anything. The group were able to discuss t h i s to a much greater degree than would have been possible at an e a r l y stage. The aggressive boy, who was blaming every-body, was able to see the need to help the l e s s able to play, and that blaming them a c t u a l l y resulted i n more mistakes being made. The worker was able to be more h e l p f u l , because he had been given.more acceptance by the group than was the case at an e a r l i e r * stage. In t h i s process, there seemed to be a d e f i n i t e sequence. F i r s t of a l l the more passive boys were eager to t a l k with the worker, and the aggressive boys remained aloof. The The aggressive boy seemed to "get to know" the worker through the r e l a t i o n -ship that was developing with the more passive boy. In essence, t h e i r - 57 -att i t u d e seemed to be, "we- don't want to become involved with t h i s adult yet; l e t ' s wait and see what he's l i k e f i r s t " . " I f he- l i k e s them, h e ' l l l i k e us; then, i t w i l l be safe." One w r i t e r , commenting on h i s experience i n group c o u n s e l l i n g states that: The group s e t t i n g provides two e s s e n t i a l new t o o l s : a modified client-worker r e l a t i o n s h i p and the a c c e s s i b i l i t y of members to each other. The r e l a t i o n s h i p to the worker i s d i l u t e d i n a group s e t t i n g and at the same time i s more obje c t i v e and r e a l i s t i c because the c l i e n t experiences the worker's response to others i n the group as w e l l as to himself. 6 During the l a s t year that the Y.O.U. was i n operation, a number of women were taken on s t a f f as counsellors. Some of the women worked i n the u n i t s with groups of boys. The process of acceptance with a woman worker i n the u n i t , follows a s i m i l a r pattern which obtains with a male worker. That i s , acceptance by the more passive boys, and through them to the more aggressive boy. However, because the v/orker i s a woman there are important d i f f e r e n c e s . The worker met the boys i n the u n i t f o r the f i r s t time today. She introduced h e r s e l f and, one of the boys took i t upon himself to c a l l o f f the names of each boy as he pointed him out to her. .At lock-up, John was very anxious to help with l o c k i n g up, and he shut a l l the c e l l doors.for the worker. I n i t i a l l y the boys f o l l o w a c u l t u r a l l y - a c c e p t e d p a t t e r n that one should be p o l i t e to women. Boys are introduced, and give the worker help i n cl o s i n g the c e l l doors at lock-up time. This, however, i s only a temporary condition. S h o r t l y a f t e r t h i s the unit want to know what the woman v/orker i s l i k e , and she records that: 6 Grunwald, H., "Group Counseling i n Combating Delinquency", Federal Probation, December, 1958. p. 34. - 58 -The un i t i s cool towards worker, but no one i s openly unf r i e n d l y . I t i s f e l t that P a u l , a member of the high status group, i s having d i f f i c u l t y f i n d i n g h i s place with the worker. I t i s d i f f i c u l t to e s t a b l i s h a r e l a t i o n s h i p with t h i s group, a. number of the weaker members i n the un i t seem to be waiting f o r Paul to give a sign that i t ' s O.K. I t i s f e l t that several of the boys would be more f r i e n d l y , but do not wish to make a move. In the f o l l o w i n g record, the members of the group take the i n i t i a t i v e i n " t e s t i n g " the worker. The r o l e she plays helps boys to see that she i s an accepting person; they, i n turn, accept her. Tonight the group talked about the Hollywood version given the general p u b l i c regarding p r i s o n inmates, that they think the inmates i n here go around r e a l tough, k n i f i n g people, etc. They wanted to know what the worker had thought about Oakalla before coming here. The worker r e p l i e d that she didn't know much about j a i l s u n t i l she came to the Y.O.U., but had read write-ups by the Warden, and heard him speak to groups where he had asked f o r help from the community i n accepting the inmate back i n s o c i e t y f o l l o w i n g r e l e a s e . They were surprised that t h i s consideration was given to inmates. E a r l i e r t h i s evening, the u n i t , at the suggestion of the few higher status inmates, decided to play ships and s a i l o r s . In t h i s game they use mats, one inmate l i n k s arms around the waist of inmate ahead to form a human platform; f i v e inmates form this platform, and others i n the group, leap on the backs one at a time, u n t i l f i v e are on the backs of the group forming the platform. The idea of the game i s to see which group f a l l s f i r s t ; those on top, by being rocked o f f , or those underneath by being "..squashed". The stronger inmates i n v a r i a b l y a l l on one team, and they jump on the backs of the weaker. The worker suggested they rotate p o s i t i o n , and immediately Paul s a i d he wouldn't crack to worker. The whole un i t acted as i f they had been badly used and most of the u n i t went to s i t at the far end of the u n i t ; i t appeared that the Counsellor was going to get the s i l e n t treatment. Paul went and l a y down i n his c e l l . At lock up a few of the lower status inmates spoke of the pressure put on some inmates by others, but they assured worker that i t did not occur i n t h i s u n i t . I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g i n t h i s record to note how the process of acceptance of the worker by the group, enables the worker to help the group-as-a-whole. This furthers the process of acceptance. As an example, - 59 -i n the record j u s t quoted, Paul, the boy whom the worker has i d e n t i f i e d as one of the more aggressive boys i n the u n i t , i s unable at t h i s time to accept l i m i t s that the worker has evaluated as being necessary. His response i s a f l a t : "I won't crack to you". However, he i s i n c r e a s i n g l y able to accept the worker, and h i s a t t i t u d e undergoes a change. Ken, a new' member i n the u n i t group was very passive during a dodgeball game tonight. Paul kept h o l l e r i n g at him to throw the goddam b a l l . The v/orker spoke to Paul l a t e r , alone, and asked him not to single t h i s boy out; he was very embarrassed when Paul h o l l e r e d at him. The v/orker pointed out that since Ken i s a new a r r i v a l i n the u n i t , Paul should give him a break. Although Paul was quite defensive, he seemed to appreciate the s i t u a t i o n . Such a change.., r e s u l t s to a large extent through the boy i d e n t i f y i n g with the v/orker, and the values she represents such as, f a i r play and the r i g h t s of others. Furthermore, as a boy i d e n t i f i e s with such values he i n turn helps other boys towards more acceptable forms of behaviour. The v/orker was impressed with Paul's e f f o r t to s i l e n c e Frank, who was swearing at the t a b l e . Frank has very low status i n the group, and he responded immediately to Paul's cue, t h i s was done only by a glance, and not i n any obvious manner. Sometimes acceptance of the worker involves help i n s o l v i n g a problem of one of the members of the group. In t h i s case, Frank's poor r e l a t i o n s h i p with the woman v/orker reveals a serious c o n f l i c t with women. Frank i s extremely unco-operative i n h i s a t t i t u d e . He i s very i n s o l e n t , and he r a r e l y speaks to worker. He just grunts. He appears to have a contemptuous a t t i t u d e to women, which he i n c r e a s i n g l y expresses i n h i s a t t i t u d e , but cannot v e r b a l i z e . "Tonight, a f t e r lock-up, the worker was handing out w r i t i n g paper, and Frank was l y i n g on h i s bed naked. He v/as aware that the worker was bringing paper around, as he had requested some himself. Later, he stood up and leaned against the c e l l door, again v/ith no clothes on, as the worker came down and out of the u n i t . The v/orker f e e l s that t h i s i n c i d e n t may be the opening needed to b r i n g some of h i s h o s t i l i t y to the surface." The worker plans to have an i n t e r v i e w , and i f i n d i c a t e d , arrange - 60 -f o r a r e f e r r a l to the doctor. Today the u n i t was very cool towards her when she came on duty, and i t was obvious a f t e r a few minutes that i t was over Frank's ex h i b i t i o n i s m . The worker overheard a remark that opened up the discussion. She reminded the group that Frank had apologized, but apparently the idea had got around that he was going to go to outside court. The worker said that punishment was not involved, j u s t an understanding of what was acceptable behaviour. A f t e r supper a number of the inmates wanted to know why the worker had come to work at Y.O.U., she r e p l i e d that i t was because she was i n t e r e s t e d i n this kind of work. Paul gave a number of reasons why he didn't think women should work in. a u n i t , one, the inmates couldn't run from shower to c e l l i f they forgot t h e i r towels and two, they had to watch t h e i r swearing. Frank spends much more time out of h i s c e l l . The u n i t seems to r a l l y around him, and gives him greater support i n h i s attempts to mix with others. P a u l , the n a t u r a l leader i n the group, i s mixing more with a l l the members of the group instead of the few higher status inmates. There i s a marked change i n his a t t i t u d e , he has much l e s s h o s t i l i t y than was the case a few months ago. This chapter has been concerned with the f u n c t i o n of the c o u n s e l l o r s , and the emergence of r o l e s , as groups accept the cou n s e l l o r s . Once a degree of acceptance has been'achieved, a group i s no longer p r i m a r i l y concerned i n " t e s t i n g " the counsellor, i n t r y i n g to f i n d out what he or she i s l i k e . In a sense, the counsellor's a t t e n t i o n can now be more e f f e c t i v e l y d i r e c t e d on the i n t e r a c t i o n i n the u n i t group, and more p a r t i c u l a r l y , the basis of the r e l a t i o n s h i p between the boys. This i s the focus i n the next chapter. CHAPTER 3 THE BEGINNING OF SOCIALIZATION The f i r s t chapter of t h i s study discussed why some adolescents behave i n a s o c i a l l y - a c c e p t a b l e manner, while other adolescents behave i n a socially-unacceptable manner. How some adolescents are able to accept adults; to i d e n t i f y with the values they represent; to b e n e f i t from t h e i r example and suggestions. Other adolescents are unable to accept adults; they do not i d e n t i f y with the values they represent. Instead, there i s close i d e n t i f i c a t i o n with the values of other delinquents. The delinquent, however, i s able to plan with others. There i s ample evidence of t h i s , i n the d e t a i l s worked out, and the decisions made, p r i o r to a breaking and entering, or s t e a l i n g a car, as examples. In such plannings, a few i n f l u e n t i a l leaders make the plans, and the members of the gang carry out, or go along with such decisions and plans. The use of the term s o c i a l i z a t i o n , therefore, applies to the process whereby a group v/orker helps a group of youthful offenders to use t h e i r planning s k i l l s on a more democratic b a s i s , and for c o n s t r u c t i v e purposes. G i s e l a Knopka states t h i s concept s u c c i n c t l y : Residents i n i n s t i t u t i o n s w i l l f i n d t h e i r way to each other somehow, but i t i s the task of the group v/orker to help them do t h i s so warmth begins to flow instead of hatred. Hate breeds only despair or new defiance. 1 1 Knopka, G., Group Work i n the I n s t i t u t i o n , Whiteside, Inc. and William Morrow and Company, New York, N.Y., 1954, p. 288. - 61 -Placement "Problems" An i m p o r t a n t p o i n t i n the development of a group programme i s d e c i d i n g who s h a l l be members of a p a r t i c u l a r u n i t group, and how changes i n groupings may be made. The o r i g i n a l group of boys who came to the Y.O.U. from the West Wing o f O a k a l l a were a s s i g n e d to a p a r t i c u l a r unit, f o r a number o f r e a s o n s . Some went to a p a r t i c u l a r u n i t because they had f r i e n d s i n t h a t u n i t , and they wanted to be t o g e t h e r . O t h e r s , were p l a c e d i n one u n i t because they were i n a c e r t a i n v o c a t i o n a l or work programme; f o r example, a t one p o i n t a l l those who had been i n motor mechanics were p l a c e d together i n one u n i t . G r a d u a l l y , boys were moved from one u n i t to another because a member of s t a f f f e l t i t was d e s i r a b l e f o r an inmate to move; i t would remove him from " u n d e s i r a b l e i n f l u e n c e s " , o r , he would be a b l e to b r i n g a d e s i r a b l e i n f l u e n c e i n a p a r t i c u l a r u n i t . A boy might be moved from one u n i t to another u n i t because he was c a u s i n g " t r o u b l e " i n a u n i t . F o l l o w i n g the i n t r o d u c t i o n o f the group-based programme a t the Y.O.U., numerous r e q u e s t s to move from one u n i t to another c o n t i n u e d to be made; such r e q u e s t s c o u l d o r i g i n a t e from boys, or from s t a f f . A boy c o u l d request to be moved out of h i s u n i t group, o r , r e q u e s t t h a t another boy be moved i n t o h i s u n i t group. I t was e v i d e n t , t h a t some k i n d o f r o u t i n e was n e c e s s a r y i n order to handle the numerous r e q u e s t s to move t h a t were b e i n g made. F o l l o w i n g a number of s t a f f m e e t i n g s , a t which t h i s v/as d i s c u s s e d , the p o l i c y was e s t a b l i s h e d , t h a t when a boy wanted to move from one u n i t group, the c o u n s e l l o r i n t h a t u n i t would submit a r e p o r t to the worker i n charge o f the programme, o u t l i n i n g the reasons a boy wanted to move, - 62 -and the c o u n s e l l o r ' s o p i n i o n s r e l a t i v e to the boy's reasons f o r wanting to move. The e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f the r o u t i n e was a simple m a t t e r ; b u t , what to do about the r e q u e s t proved to be a very d i f f i c u l t problem. A boy may wish to be w i t h a p a r t i c u l a r u n i t group f o r any number of r e a s o n s , and s i n c e the Y.O.U. had s i x u n i t s a l i m i t e d amount of group c h o i c e was p o s s i b l e . The reasons g i v e n by boys f o r w a n t i n g to move were e x t r e m e l y v a r i e d . The c o u n s e l l o r s suggested a number o f s o l u t i o n s to such s i t u a t i o n s . Some f e l t t h a t c e r t a i n boys i n t h e i r u n i t were "too p o w e r f u l " , and s h o u l d be moved to another u n i t . Such a s o l u t i o n was v i g o u r o u s l y opposed by o t h e r c o u n s e l l o r s . A number of c o u n s e l l o r s supported a boy's r e q u e s t to move because the boy needed " p r o t e c t i o n " . Other c o u n s e l l o r s f e l t t h a t a number o f boys were b u l l i e s , and s h o u l d be removed from the Y.O.U.; no matter where they might be p l a c e d they would always cause t r o u b l e . .Such c o n c l u s i o n s were a r r i v e d a t as a r e s u l t o f o b s e r v a t i o n s made by the c o u n s e l l o r s i n the u n i t groups. T h i s r e p r e s e n t e d c o n s i d e r a b l e development i n comparison to what t h e • s i t u a t i o n had been e a r l i e r , when no member of s t a f f was working d i r e c t l y v/ith a u n i t group. At t h a t time, " c e r t a i n i n d i v i d u a l s " were s u s p e c t e d of b e i n g " t r o u b l e m a k e r s " or " r i n g l e a d e r s " . . I n c r e a s i n g l y , the c o u n s e l l o r s were h e l p e d to focus t h e i r a t t e n t i o n on who was-"too i n f l u e n t i a l " i n a p a r t i c u l a r u n i t and why; who needed " p r o t e c t i o n " i n a u n i t , and why was t h i s n e c e s s a r y ; who were the b u l l i e s , and how d i d they show that such was the case. I n a l l u n i t g r o u p s . t h e r e e x i s t e d two main sub-groups. One sub-group c o u l d be i d e n t i f i e d as h a v i n g h i g h s t a t u s ; the o t h e r sub-group had low s t a t u s . H i gh s t a t u s or low s t a t u s , i n a u n i t group, i s c o n f e r r e d on an i n d i v i d u a l f o r a number of r e a s o n s . One o f the more i m p o r t a n t bases f o r h i g h or low s t a t u s has to do w i t h the o f f e n c e t h a t a boy committed. Offences i n v o l v i n g g r e a t e r r i s k or s k i l l , command h i g h e r s t a t u s than o f f e n c e s i n v o l v i n g l i t t l e r i s k o r s k i l l . A youngster who can c o n v i n c i n g l y t e l l how he has been "around i n the w o r l d " ; how a r r e s t had been avo i d e d , and how the p o l i c e had be e n . . f o i l e d , was h e l d i n h i g h s t a t u s . A boy's a b i l i t y i n s p o r t s and games i s another b a s i s f o r h i g h s t a t u s . P o s s i b l y the h i g h e s t s t a t u s i s g i v e n to the boy who can p h y s i c a l l y overpower any ot h e r s i n g l e boy; t h i s i s not always a q u e s t i o n of the s i z e . o f the boy, i t might i n v o l v e s k i l l e d use o f a s o r t of t o t a l combat t e c h n i q u e , f i s t s , b oots and so on, by some p h y s i c a l l y s m a l l e r boy. On the o t h e r hand, lov; s t a t u s i s c o n f e r r e d on boys who committed o f f e n c e s i n v o l v i n g l i t t l e r i s k o r s k i l l . Boys who d i d not g i v e a c o n v i n c i n g account o f t h e i r o f f e n c e s and e x p e r i e n c e s w i t h , the p o l i c e , or. t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e s i n the community were a l s o h e l d i n lov; s t a t u s . A boy who l a c k s a b i l i t y i n s p o r t s and games i s a l s o i n a p o s i t i o n o f low s t a t u s . H igh or lov; s t a t u s i n a u n i t i s o f t e n c o n f i r m e d , as a r e s u l t of an argument over a p a r t i c u l a r i s s u e , one boy c h a l l e n g e s a n o t h e r , and one o f them "backs down". Th i s may r e s u l t over a c h a l l e n g e to f i g h t i t . o u t , o r , i t may r e s u l t from j u s t a v i o l e n t argument ending i n mocking d e c i s i o n by one boy a t a n o t h e r , t h a t he doesn't know what he i s t a l k i n g about. C o n f e r r i n g h i g h e r s t a t u s would be p a r t i c u -l a r l y n o t i c e a b l e i f t h i s was f o l l o w e d by s u f f i c i e n t l a u g h t e r o r k i d d i n g by o t h e r s i n the group. The h i g h e r s t a t u s boys i n a group c o u l d thus dominate some members o f the group, and many i n s t a n c e s o f t h i s were g i v e n by c o u n s e l l o r s . I t was n o t i c e d , f o r example, when c e r t a i n boys were - 64 -excluded from table tennis, and card 'games when the higher status members wanted to use such f a c i l i t i e s . C o n f l i c t s over the use of the radio were common; with numerous instances of scorn l e v e l l e d at a low status boy who was t r y i n g to l i s t e n to a p a r t i c u l a r broadcast and i n so doing, might turn the volume up to a l e v e l considered annoying by the higher status group who might be playi n g cards. At mealtimes, food might be passed from one end of the table to the other and i n t h i s manner, pass up a number of boys, f i n a l l y reaching a p a r t i c u l a r high status i n d i v i d u a l seated at the end of the t a b l e . 'Numerous instances of the lower status youths doing clean-up chores f o r the higher status youths were recorded. Under such circumstances a boy might request to leave a u n i t , with the b e l i e f that he might be able to get along better i n another u n i t . This was the reason given by Ca r l who wanted to leave h i s u n i t . The counsellor reported that not only did C a r l wish to leave; but, that other boys i n the u n i t wanted to get r i d of him. The c o u n s e l l o r was encouraged to hold a meeting with h i s u n i t group, and attempt to help them solve the impasse, that had been reached. In t h i s case, i t turned out that i f he had been allowed to move,, he probably would not have been able to get along any better i n another unit;> C a r l , during the meeting held by the group, was accused of not washing often enough. He had an objectionable h a b i t of p l a c i n g h i s socks to a i r i n h i s c e l l , to the annoyance of h i s neighbours. The- members of the group, most d i r e c t l y offended, had attempted to "get even" with him. Relationships between C a r l and other members of the group had de t e r i o r a t e d ; and i n e f f e c t , he had attempted to solve t h i s p a r t i c u l a r d i f f i c u l t y by running away from i t . In other instances, some problems i n u n i t placement could be resolved only g r a d u a l l y . For example, i n - h e l p i n g a hoy who had l a c k of s k i l l s i n sports a c t i v i t i e s , or i n cases of v i o l a t i o n of a p a r t i c u l a r boy's r i g h t to use f a c i l i t i e s , such as games etc., i t was recommended that the counsellors intervene, so that an equal share of a l l f a c i l i t i e s would gradually be achieved. However, many boys had serious c o n f l i c t s with other boys, that had t h e i r beginnings outside the Y.O.U.; a boy had "squealed" on another boy, or they had known one another at "Bisco", and had 'an old score' to s e t t l e . With some of these boys i t v/as possible to discuss, i n a p r i v a t e i n t e r v i e w , some of the outstanding differences between them, and eff e c t -some, r e c o n c i l l i a t i o n . A number of boys, when interviewed i n d i v i d u a l l y . o v e r a d i f f i c u l t y they were experiencing i n a u n i t , became very upset, and c r i e d a good deal, maintaining they couldn't discuss what d i f f i c u l t i e s they were having. I t was c l e a r , that i n t h e i r p a r t i c u l a r group, they were unable to face the d i f f i c u l t i e s that confronted them. In many of these cases, the boy f e l t he could not. ' f i t i n ' anywhere, and sometimes the caseworker would arrange with the Doctor a period i n the h o s p i t a l , as a r e l i e f from group pressures such a boy was experiencing. Sometimes, support from the case-worker was s u f f i c i e n t to enable a boy to muster s u f f i c i e n t courage to continue to persevere i n s o l v i n g problems he was having i n a group. I t was almost, as i f , the boy was unconsciously s a y i n g , . " i f you believe I can do i t , then-I can do i t " . In attempting to solve these c o n f l i c t s i n i n t e r -personal r e l a t i o n s h i p s that occur i n a u n i t , there i s no 'pat' s o l u t i o n ; neither i s there an easy s o l u t i o n to the problems of where to place a'boy. Observation, study and diagnosis of each problem r e l a t i o n s h i p i s necessary. In t h i s process a counsellor must have s o c i a l work s k i l l s , f o r i t inv o l v e s , - 66 -as was discussed i n the l a s t chapter, the gaining of acceptance of the u n i t group so that r o l e s can emerge i n response to the ongoing diagnosis that i s made. The Group as a Diagnostic Tool , In discussions i n v o l v i n g a group of boys i n the u n i t s , the workers o f t e n had the experience of hearing from a passive boy that he shouldn't be i n j a i l . He had been with a gang 'on the outside' and didn't know what was being planned; f i n a l l y , they had a l l been inv o l v e d i n breaking and entering,,or r i d i n g i n a car that he did not know was stol e n , and they had been arrested. Since he did not know what was being planned, therefore, he really.wasn't g u i l t y . However, i t was necessary f o r him to belong somewhere and to be r e l a t e d to a group of his peers. The penalty paid f o r h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p with an a n t i - s o c i a l gang was to be sentenced to j a i l . Such a boy probably was a marginal member of a delinquent gang, who had not thoroughly i n t e g r a t e d the delinquent values of the gang. Such a boy was one of the f i r s t to form a r e l a t i o n s h i p with the counsellors. He wanted to be protected, some of these,boys were very dependent on the coun s e l l o r s , wanting almost to atta c h themselves to them as a c h i l d to h i s parents. On the other hand, the more aggressive boy did not appear to have been a v i c t i m of h i s gang. "He had been caught, but so what? There v/as a reason f o r the offence; he needed the money." "He got t i r e d of walking and s t o l e a car. How else could he and h i s pals get a g i r l ? " - "The cops were always on his back anyway,.and wouldn't leave him alone. They always came to h i s house, or stopped him i n the s t r e e t and asked him questions. I f they b e l i e v e you a t h i e f , you might as w e l l be one." The more aggressive - 67 -boy was d i s t r u s t f u l of the counsellors, and remained a l o o f . He gave them acceptance only a f t e r i t was "safe" to do so. He had been rejected so o f t e n that he would not expose himself again u n t i l he had some assurances, and he seemed to get such assurance by watching what happened between the counsellors and the more passive and low status boys i n the u n i t group. The core of the service that group work could o f f e r such a group of boys would i n v o l v e helping the aggressive boy to l e a r n to use h i s natural leader p o t e n t i a l constructively.. The passive boy would need help i n developing h i s own a b i l i t i e s i n order to contribute c o n s t r u c t i v e l y to the group. I f boys are to be helped to achieve such goals, they need to develop t r u s t ' i n adults. In so ! doing, they i d e n t i f y with the values of s o c i e t y that the counsellors represent; and are helped to give up delinquent values. The Group as a Therapeutic Tool . The'following excerpts from group records i l l u s t r a t e how a worker helps boys towards a greater t r u s t of a d u l t s . How important values are introduced i n t o l i v i n g s i t u a t i o n s , and the slow, but gradual l e a r n i n g that takes place. The sharing of food continues to be a d i f f i c u l t problem f o r t h i s group. Tonight the worker attempted to explain to the group that j u s t a-few weeks ago, they waited u n t i l a l l were seated and then the food was passed around. This seemed a better method than j u s t rushing out and grabbing the«-food before anyone else had a chance to s i t down. A l o t of pros and cons were discussed and many of the weaker boys maintained that they got a l l ' t h e food they wanted. The worker believes that, at t h i s time, i t w i l l not be desirable to give too much support to the weaker members, so the worker said that f o r the time being each boy i n turn would be responsible for sharing the food, before the u n i t went out to the t a b l e . In a group record a short time a f t e r t h i s , the worker comments that: - 6 8 -The worker had an opportunity tonight to point out to the u n i t that, at times, food i s not evenly shared, and that a few end up with no meat or very l i t t l e dessert. The d i s -cussion then centered on why some boys take more than t h e i r share. There v/as obviously a l o t of f e e l i n g about t h i s , not only by the weaker members, but the stronger members seemed to f e e l g u i l t y . The stronger members.were contemptuous of the others. Fred, one of the high status members, of the group, expressed the f e e l i n g s of the stronger members by saying, " I f they were too gutless to ask f o r food they could go without." Food i s an important source of g r a t i f i c a t i o n i n a corrections i n s t i t u t i o n . However, perhaps some an x i e t i e s may have been s t i r r e d up over what v/as i n t e r p r e t e d by Fred as the worker's desire to r e s t r i c t , what to him, may be an important source of g r a t i f i c a t i o n . The v/orker seems, to have t h i s i n mind when he t e l l s the group, "that perhaps they were a f r a i d they wouldn't get a share, so they r e a l l y took more without thinking too much of the others." The worker does not blame anyone, he however gives some i n s i g h t i n t o a group problem that may help them to a greater understanding of the- r i g h t s of others. Passive boys i n a group often act as i f they have no r i g h t s . The worker's a b i l i t y to i d e n t i f y such a t t i t u d e s , and to give help, i s v/ell i l l u s t r a t e d i n the f o l l o w i n g record: Fred's i n f l u e n c e on. some of the weaker members of the group can be .very subtle. Tonight, a f t e r lock-up, f o r example, Tony hinted to the worker that he would l i k e the windows open but to "ask Fred i f i t ' s O.K. by him to open the win-dows." The worker agreed with Tony that the u n i t v/as s t u f f y and a few windows were opened. As f a r as Tony i s concerned i t i s c e r t a i n l y possible that on the outside he may be influenced by' such a boy .as ^red hy taking part i n a n t i -s o c i a l a c t i v i t i e s . To help such a boy as Tony make up h i s own mind i s an important treatment goal. He needs to gain a sense of' f e e l i n g more adequate, - 69 -and an important t o o l i n t h i s i s the d i r e c t support he received by the worker. He also needs to l e a r n to do things. Hobbies, c r a f t s , games, and sports a c t i v i t i e s of a l l kinds help boys to l e a r n s k i l l s , and as a r e s u l t , there i s an improvement i n t h e i r self-concept. The use of sports a c t i v i t i e s as a tool i n t h i s process i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n the worker's record, concerning Ken. Ken i s quite passive i n h i s u n i t group. Today when we v/ere outside he d i d not take part i n the soccer game, but stood on the s i d e l i n e s watching the other boys. The worker asked him i f he had ever played soccer and he r e p l i e d that he didn't l i k e the game. The worker asked i f he would l i k e to l e a r n the game, but he seemed r e l u c t a n t to want to t r y . In t h i s day to day contact with the group, the worker comments that: Today Ken confided that he had played some soccer; but, he could only k i c k the b a l l with h i s l e f t foot. He was a f r a i d other boys would laugh at him. The worker wondered i f Ken was sure that t h i s would happen; perhaps, he was more conscious of i t himself than other boys would be. A few days l a t e r the worker reported that Ken had f i n a l l y been w i l l i n g t o ^ t r y and play soccer. Today Ken got i n t o a game of soccer f o r the f i r s t time, and no one noticed that he kicked the b a l l v/ith h i s l e f t foot. He played an i n c r e a s i n g l y good game and gained i n status with the other boys. Gradually as the worker continues to work with a u n i t group, we can notice evidences of boys being helped to use t h e i r influence construc-t i v e l y . This involves supporting and l i m i t i n g boys at c e r t a i n times, c l a r i f y i n g issues f o r the u n i t , and so on. Fred, one of the more agressive boys i n a u n i t had on many occasions used h i s influence to dominate the group. Gradually he accepted help from the worker, and we now see evidence - 70 -of Fred's greater a b i l i t y to use h i s influence c o n s t r u c t i v e l y . At the time the u n i t group were to go out and play soccer, Fred t o l d the v/orker he wasn't going to play and when asked why not, he r e p l i e d that he just didn't want to go. When t h i s was ignored, he seemed s a t i s f i e d ; s h o r t l y a f t e r -wards he v/as t e l l i n g the v/hole group to hurry up and get ready. Sometimes the v/orker's r o l e v / i l l c o n s i s t i n saying nothing, as i n the record j u s t noted. At other times, the worker gives the group strong d i r e c t i o n as i n the fo l l o w i n g instance: The u n i t v/ent to the small gym to play dodgeball a f t e r supper. Before the game s t a r t e d , the worker t o l d the group that i f they didn't throw the b a l l as hard as they could, and at the stronger members a l s o , the unit v/buld go back to the u n i t . An excellent game followed with the stronger members having to dodge equally as much as the weaker members. The s e t t i n g of d e f i n i t e l i m i t s i s an e s s e n t i a l part of helping i n d i v i d u a l s and the group-as-a-whole. This evening the uni t asked f o r a meeting to discuss clean-up chores, l a t e r on, the worker took the oppor-tu n i t y of d i s c u s s i n g time l i m i t s f o r being out. of a u n i t . I f a boy overstayed h i s f i v e minutes, he would be cut to two, then i f t h i s was abused he v/ould lose h i s v i s i t i n g f o r a week. To the youthful offender, the necessity of accepting c e r t a i n l i m i t s can be d i f f i c u l t ; yet, t h i s i s an important r e h a b i l i t a t i v e goal. Clear-cut, and d e f i n i t e l i m i t s are h e l p f u l i n t h i s l e a r n i n g process. In s e t t i n g l i m i t s , as done i n the record j u s t quoted, f l e x i b i l i t y i s important. This recognizes, that l e a r n i n g l i m i t s , f o r some boys, takes time. Such methods of s e t t i n g l i m i t s are easier f o r boys to accept, than r i g i d r u l es of l i m i t a t i o n . I t i s also i n t e r e s t i n g , that the u n i t group has now recognized the use of a meeting as a medium of discussing group problems, and so "the uni t asked f o r a meeting." On many occasions a u n i t group w i l l want to determine i f the - 7.1 -worker can accept l i m i t s which are set by the i n s t i t u t i o n . The i m p l i c a -tions of such " t e s t i n g " not only involves the worker; but, the worker as a representative of the i n s t i t u t i o n , and the i n s t i t u t i o n representative of society. The youthful offender's experience i n the community may have r e s u l t e d i n a b e l i e f that people'are dishonest. In the f o l l o w i n g record the- worker not only e s t a b l i s h e s l i m i t s ; but, also takes a stand on a p r i n c i p l e of honesty. Following supper the worker discussed with the group the evidence of extra food. The u n i t was t o l d that t h i s would not be condoned. Fred asked, "Couldn't you j u s t ignore i t ? " The worker explained the r u l e s of the Y.O.U. and that he could not condone such abuses. Nothing f u r t h e r was s a i d . In f a c t , the worker f e l t that the boys judged the explanation f a i r and accepted i t . In the excerpts from group process records j u s t quoted, we see that a worker has helped the more aggressive boys, as a r e s u l t of t h e i r g r a n ting the worker increased acceptance which i n turn makes i t p o s s i b l e for them to accept necessary l i m i t s . F i n a l l y , one aggressive boy, Fred, begins to exercise constructive leadership i n t h i s group, and helps the group-as-a-whole. On the other hand, the passive boys need a good deal of support. The worker i s c a r e f u l , however, not to over-support, with-out at the same time g i v i n g d e f i n i t e help i n encouraging such boys to be more aggressive and. help them gain s k i l l s so that they can experience an improvement i n self-esteem. This, of course, i s important f o r a l l boys; but, i t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y important f o r the passive boy. The r o l e of a worker with such a group of youthful offenders i s of key import-ance. Commenting on t h i s , one w r i t e r states that: - 72 -Probably the greatest s a t i s f a c t i o n that the c h i l d can receive i n the t r a i n i n g program i s l e a r n i n g to t r u s t a d u l t s . 1 Group work services not only help the i n d i v i d u a l members of a group; but, they make po s s i b l e help, f o r an i n d i v i d u a l to seek other services. For example, the services of a caseworker. Many boys are i n need of in t e n s i v e i n d i v i d u a l help that .cannot be given i n a group. In such cases a worker can help the youth recognize the need fo r more inte n s i v e help and help i n the r e f e r r a l process. Group Work - Casework Services In our analysis of the structure of a uni t group at the Y.O.U., the existence of two main sub-groups was pointed out. The aggressive boy, a member of the higher status sub-group who tends to dominate the t o t a l group, i s not p a r t i c u l a r l y aware of h i s problems. He tends to blame others, and to s t r i k e out against h i s environment. The passive boy, a member of the low status sub-group who tends to be submissive and to with-draw i n the group, i s more aware of h i s problems. He tends to blame him-s e l f , and to i n t e r n a l i z e h i s c o n f l i c t s . Bob was a member of the lov; status sub-group i n h i s u n i t . He was very dependent on the worker, to such an extent, that soon a f t e r Bob had been placed, the worker recorded that he was f o l l o w i n g him around j u s t l i k e a small c h i l d , and that he appeared to be t e r r i f i e d i n the group se t -t i n g . Bob's behaviour was discussed with the group work supervisor and a r e f e r r a l was made to the caseworker. Excerpts from the case h i s t o r y commented that: 1 Novick, A. " I n t e g r a t i n g the Delinquent and His Community", Federal Probation, June 1956, p. 41. - 73 -Bob l e f t school i n Grade 8 at the age of sixteen years because of h i s r e f u s a l to take P h y s i c a l Ed. which v/as compulsory. His d i s c u s s i o n of h i s school experience i n d i c a t e d that i t was a very unhappy one for him, and that he was very poorly adjusted there. In speaking of h i s f a m i l y , he c l e a r l y expresses a great • deal of h o s t i l i t y to h i s father, blaming him for being drunken and abusive to himself and to h i s mother. He speaks also of h i s present bad health (although he i s not able to i n d i c a t e any organic d i s a b i l i t y or i l l n e s s ) , and r e l a t e s i t b i t t e r l y to the abuses he has had from hi s father since he was very young. He speaks s e l f -p i t y i n g l y of t h i s state of he a l t h and i n d i c a t e s that i t w i l l i n e v i t a b l y be with him f o r the rest of h i s l i f e . I t seems c l e a r that he has needed to be i l l and s i c k l y i n order to be able to f u n c t i o n . Discussing h i s offence, the boy shows signs of a t e r -r i f i c amount of g u i l t and confusion. He stresses h i s innocence and also the t e r r i f i c s t r a i n that the pro-cedure has imposed on h i s h e a l t h . Regarding h i s heterosexual r e l a t i o n s h i p s , he emphasizes that he has never had an i n t e r e s t i n g i r l s , seems to be a complete s o c i a l m i s f i t , frightened to death of p a r t i c i p a t i o n with h i s peers, and r a t i o n a l i z i n g regarding h i s desire to concentrate on matters which might be of value for hi s future to an extent which leaves him no time f o r enjoyment. Bob needed help i n g e t t i n g some s a t i s f a c t i o n s other than from h i s work. In group process records, v/e note that Bob remained i s o l a t e d from others, although he clung almost constantly to the worker. Over a period of time he was encouraged to 'play table tennis with the v/orker, and as h i s s k i l l improved he became w i l l i n g to play with other members of the group. During t h i s time, he needed p r o t e c t i o n from the stronger members of the group, v/ho tended to use Bob as a target f o r t h e i r h o s t i l i t y . Although he was u n w i l l i n g to p a r t i c i p a t e d i r e c t l y i n some sport a c t i v i t i e s , such as f l o o r hockey, and soccer, he v/as encouraged to r e l a t e to the group, as much as p o s s i b l e , by keeping score f o r the u n i t , and other such means of reducing some of his.tendencies to i s o l a t e himself and be re j e c t e d by - 74 -the group. He i n v i t e d some contempt from some of the hoys because of h i s s e l f - p i t y ; but,* h e l p i n g him to r e l a t e to the group, i n whatever manner p o s s i b l e , seems to have reduced some of the scorn that he was subjected to e a r l i e r . During t h i s time Bob was seen on a continuing basis by the caseworker who comments that: ~ , V/hen th i s boy came to the I n s t i t u t i o n , he emphasized h i s f e e l i n g that h i s school work was the be a l l and the end a l l as f a r as h i s a c t i v i t i e s here were concerned. We note that he has been able to move to a s u r p r i s i n g degree i n t o a comfortable adjustment with the other members of h i s un i t group. There has been a marked decrease i n h i s neurotic concern about h i s health so that now he r a r e l y appears on s i c k parade. I t was furt h e r f e l t that the acceptance he has received here, has helped him s u b s t a n t i a l l y to deal with the d e s t r u c t i v e degree of g u i l t which he f e e l s be-cause of the nature of h i s offence. I t was recognized that t h i s boy, at t h i s stage, requires and responds to every pos-s i b l e gesture of f r i e n d l i n e s s and acceptance from s t a f f members as w e l l as boys. Bob continued to make good use of the group and casework services that were a v a i l a b l e to him and t h i s became most s i g n i f i c a n t l y demonstrated at the Y.O.U. sports day. Here, each group p a r t i c i p a t e d as a group i n f i e l d and track events and s c o r i n g v/as done on a group basis. Like the other boys, Bob took o f f h i s s h i r t , and stripped to the waist; he took part i n a l l the a c t i v i t i e s . This v/as the measure of h i s growing b e l i e f i n h i s own a b i l i t i e s ; t h i s i n turn, was r e f l e c t e d i n h i s acceptance by the u n i t group. The agressive boy, on the other hand, presents an extremely d i f f i c u l t problem of r e f e r r a l . He tends to blame others, and to want to di v e s t himself of any r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for h i s a c t i o n s . I t i s always the other boy's f a u l t or the worker's f a u l t , or s o c i e t y ' s f a u l t . Jim was seen by the caseworker as a part of intake i n t e r v i e w . The case-- 75 -worker- comments i n Jim's f i l e that he was "belligerent i n h i s a t t i t u d e to-wards, him, and r a t i o n a l i z e d h i s past experiences l a r g e l y i n an attempt to defend himself: Speaking of h i s school experience, Jim reported that he f i n i s h e d Grade 6; he attempted three times, but f a i l e d each time, to complete Grade 7- He f i n a l l y was expelled f o r " f i g h t i n g with the teacher" whom he fe e l s was causing a l l the trouble. He in d i c a t e s a great deal of resent-ment against the "old man," but a p o s i t i v e f e e l i n g to-wards mother. In the u n i t group, the v/orker records that Jim i s extremely h o s t i l e and abusive, and that he c o n t i n u a l l y picks on the weaker boys. Last night, a f i g h t broke out i n the u n i t between Jim and Bruce. When the v/orker intervened to stop the f i g h t , Jim became very abusive, and was locked i n h i s c e l l to "cool o f f " . He has attempted to provoke the worker by making obscene gestures, and he often makes threats implying homosexual a c t i v i t y ' to a number of boys. The casev/orker continued to see Jim and the f i l e entry notes that: I interviewed Jim today concerning a number of d i f f i c u l t i e s he was experiencing at work and i n the u n i t . He denied having any p a r t i c u l a r trouble, and v/hen I asked about a f i g h t he r e p l i e d that, "Oh, we were just f o o l i n g around." When an attempt was made to discuss h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p s with others i n the group he became very h o s t i l e , and accused me of saying he was a "queer". At t h i s point I f e e l that the Y.O.U. has given him some increased sense of s e c u r i t y , and he has f e l t a greater freedom to act out his negative f e e l -ings towards a d u l t s . F r i t z Redl and David Wineman i n th e i r book "Controls from Within," r e f e r to the i n a b i l i t y of such boys as Jim " h e l p l e s s l y caught up i n the un-c o n t r o l l e d discharge of aggressive drives and impulse energies." 2 At the 2 Redl F, and Wineman, D., "Controls from Within". - 76 -same time however, "the selfsame ego, so unable to cope with the impulses themselves, suddenly, with an exasperating and amazing e f f i c i e n c y , per-forms superhuman tasks i n defending impulse g r a t i f i c a t i o n at a l l cos t s . " 3 Timing of a r e f e r r a l of such a boy as Jim to the caseworker i s important. A great deal of working through, and "thawing" of h o s t i l i t i e s i n a group i s necessary. Gradually through l i m i t s imposed by the other members of a group, p a r t i c u l a r l y the other aggressive boys, and the worker, a progressive l e s -sening of h o s t i l i t y may occur as the acceptance of the worker, and help given "gets through" to such a boy as Jim. I t i s however a long process, fraught with many d i f f i c u l t i e s . At times Jim became so "out of c o n t r o l " that he had to be locked i n h i s c e l l and to l d he would have to remain there u n t i l he gave some assurance he could behave i n a manner that permitted others to go about t h e i r a c t i v i t i e s i n the u n i t . This seemed to help. Insofar as r e f e r r a l to a caseworker i s concerned, i f a boy such as Jim i s r e f e r r e d i n order that a "problem" be dealt v/ith, he may e i t h e r .deny everything, refuse to t a l k or become h o s t i l e and accusing. He l i t e r a l l y f i g h t s against any change. A passive boy such as^ Bob, i n the u n i t and i n the community, has a symbolic r e l a t i o n s h i p with the more aggressive boy, such as Jim. He believes he can get something from him. He has a secret admiration f o r the aggressive behaviour of boys such as Jim. E r i c Fromm points out that i n such a person there e x i s t s a powerful masochist drive, which 3 Redl, F., and Wineman, D., I b i d p. - 77 -"i s the attempt to get rid of one's individual self, to escape from free-., 4 dom, and to look for security by attaching oneself to another person." The aggressive boy, such as Jim, exploits the weaker boy and has an overtly expressed contempt for the "weakness" he sees in such a boy. Eric Fromm, in speaking of this relatedness, says that there is a powerful sadistic drive which seeks "to have complete mastery over another person, to 5 'swallow' him, and to make him a helpless object of our w i l l . " In observing the aggressive boy and the passive boy in interaction in a unit group, as soon as the passive boy became less withdrawing and more active, he became less of an object of scorn on the part of the more aggressive boy. Activities of a l l kinds are important in this process. In the next chapter we can observe how help is given to a unit group, as i t participates with other groups in inter-group activities. 4 Fromm, Eric, "Man for Himself," Rinchart and Company, New York 1947 p. 108 . 5 Fromm, E., ibid p. 108 CHAPTER 4 WORKING TOGETHER AS GROUPS It is generally agreed that an institution for youthful offenders ought to provide opportunities for sports act iv i t ies; oppor-tunities, when boys can "let off steam", and exercise vigourously in the fresh a ir as they play such games as softball , soccer and football . At such times, boys can get away from the greater confinement that exists, i n -side the building. They are helped to relieve tensions as they run, chase, and catch others, as part of games, played on a large f i e ld . Sports act iv i t ies , therefore, provide one of the main media for inter-group participation. The Y.O.U. had six unit groups, thirteen boys to a unit group; this made i t possible to have six teams, which could take part in any number of sports act iv i t ies . However, inter-group act ivit ies at the Y.O.U. had to take into account three basic factorsi 1. The setting; 2. The unit group; 3. The function of the Counsellors. Each of theseo factors was to effect in a particular way, the total working together as groups in the Y.O.U. The Setting The Y.O.U. had two areas where inter-group participation in sports act ivi t ies was possible. A small gym with a low cei l ing which made i t impossible to play such a game as basketball, or badminton; but, which lent i t s e l f to games such as, floor hockey, volleyball , or dodge b a l l . An outside f i e ld area of sufficient size, which made possible such games as softball , soccer, or football . The Y.O.U. had an adequate budget for sports equipment. Prom i t s inception, therefore, the administration at the Y.O.U. had not only recognized the importance of such fac i l i t i e s as have - 79 -been mentioned; but, i t had a l s o provided the necessary funds. T h i s was i n c o n t r a s t to many i n s t i t u t i o n s where there i s very l i t t l e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r s p o r t s a c t i v i t i e s . In many i n s t a n c e s , t h i s i s considered, as j u s t what i t should be -punishment as a r e s u l t of committing off e n c e s . G i s e l a Knopka commenting on t h i s , s t a t e s t h a t : The youngsters wi t h whom we work i n i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r d e l i n q u e n t s are c h i l d r e n , and they need to f o r g e t at times t h e i r own c o n f l i c t s and t h e i r c o n f l i c t s with s o c i e t y . There i s no need to keep t h i s c o n s t a n t l y b e f o r e them. 1 The Y.O.U. s e t t i n g , t h e r e f o r e , made i t p o s s i b l e f o r u n i t groups to l e a v e t h e i r u n i t s , and to go o u t s i d e , or to a small gym, and enjoy themselves at games. The U n i t Group During the e a r l y p e r i o d of the l e i s u r e time programme a t the Y.O.U., there had been only l i m i t e d s p o r t s a c t i v i t i e s on an i n t e r - g r o u p b a s i s . U s u a l l y , one u n i t competed i n s p o r t s a c t i v i t i e s with another u n i t ; but, most of t h i s took p l a c e on the weekends. F o l l o w i n g the i n t r o d u c t i o n of the group-based programme, d a i l y , as w e l l as weekend inter-group p a r t i -c i p a t i o n i n s p o r t s was encouraged. One u n i t could take the i n i t i a t i v e and c h a l l e n g e another group to a p a r t i c u l a r a c t i v i t y , which i t could accept or r e f u s e . P a r t i c i p a t i o n i n s p o r t s a c t i v i t i e s i n v o l v i n g any two u n i t s was v o l u n t a r y . However, with s i x u n i t groups, i t soon became apparent, th a t due to l i m i t e d f a c i l i t i e s of p l a y i n g f i e l d and gym a r e a , scheduling of such f a c i l i t i e s was necessary. T h e r e f o r e , on any one day, a p a r t i c u l a r 1 Knopka* G i s e l a , Group Work i n the I n s t i t u t i o n Whiteside. Inc. and W i l l i a m Morrow & Company, New York, N.Y. 1954. P. 226. - 80 -unit would know in advance, that at a certain time the inside gym, or the outside field was available. It was then lef t to the counsellors to help a unit group decide, on a majority vote basis, i f the unit wanted to use a f a c i l i t y , and which unit i t wanted to challenge. A great number of con-f l i c t s developed within unit groups, and between unit groups. For example, a particular unit might complain that i t was useless to compete, because i t couldn't win. Since the basis of inter-group activity in sports was voluntary, a number of boys resented having to go out when a majority decided to challenge a particular unit. Those who refused to go out had to be locked in cells while the remainder left the unit, due to the neces-sity of having constant supervision of boys. Once on the field, some boys would be eager to start the game; other boys appeared to have no interest in the game, and just wanted to s i t and watch. The task of the umpire was a particularly d i f f i c u l t one. In order to achieve as great an objectivity as possible, a boy from a unit not involved in the game would act as umpire. On many occasions, i t became impossible to be objective. Here is a counsellor's report of one such situation: This afternoon while on the ball f i e l d , Joe and Dick disagreed on Dick's decision. Joe and Dick began to argue, and soon Jack got into the argument. Insults flew freely with each boy daring the other to come over and back up his words. The counsellor attempted to mediate in the difficulty; but, Jack ran over and began to fight with Dick, the umpire. The fight was stopped; but, as soon as the game resumed, Dick ran up behind Jack and kicked him. The counsellor ran over and stood between the two boys, and after reprimanding both boys the game finally got under way. It seems evident, that in this conflict between members of two teams, and a boy who is the umpire, the boy who was the umpire could not accept the - 81 -c r i t i c i s m of other hoys, and f e l t i t necessary to take d i r e c t a c t i o n to r e s t o r e h i s s e l f - e s t e e m . T h i s p a r t i c u l a r hoy, p o s s i b l y , should not have been pl a c e d i n a p o s i t i o n of umpiring a game when he was not r e a l l y a b le to do so. How about the u n i t s who pl a y e d the game? The c o u n s e l l o r ' s r e p o r t s t a t e s t h a t , "when the group re t u r n e d to the u n i t , Jack s a i d t h a t he would get that goddam Dick (the umpire) one way or another. The whole u n i t blamed Dick f o r having caused them to l o s e the game." D i f f i c u l t i e s i n p a r t i c i p a t i o n found e x p r e s s i o n i n other ways. For example, i t was common f o r a u n i t group to r e t u r n to i t s own u n i t f o l l o w i n g a game, and complain, tha t i f a l l of the members had played, the u n i t would not have l o s t the game. One of the more a g g r e s s i v e boys might s n e e r i n g l y remark, at such a. time, that i t wouldn't make any d i f f e r e n c e ; because, the u n i t had "too many b a b i e s " who were a f r a i d to get out and p l a y . Someone e l s e might add that i t was high time that a u n i t got r i d of these "b a b i e s " . A number of c o u n s e l l o r s b e l i e v e d that there should be a b e t t e r d i s t r i b u t i o n of p l a y e r s t r e n g t h , and some u n i t changes were made, to e f f e c t a b e t t e r balance. However, the worker i n charge of the group-based programme pointed out, that other c o n s i d e r a t i o n s had to be kept i n mind. I f , f o r example, some u n i t balance was achieved f o r s o f t b a l l , the balance would have to be r e -st o r e d on the b a s i s of soccer, or f l o o r hockey, or some other sports a c t i v i t y . To some c o u n s e l l o r s , such a balance between u n i t s seemed very important, due to the extreme r e a c t i o n s from u n i t s as a r e s u l t of winning or l o s i n g a game. Winning a game brought about an i n o r d i n a t e amount o f bragging, with derogatory remarks l e v e l l e d at the u n i t that had l o s t the game. On the other hand, the u n i t that l o s t , o f t e n found i t necessary to blame the umpire, the members of the u n i t , or the c o u n s e l l o r . Thus, i n - 82 -i n t e r - g r o u p a c t i v i t i e s , d e l i n q u e n t p a t t e r n s o f blaming others, wanting to get even, u n w i l l i n g n e s s to t r y and make an e f f o r t ; a l l were prominently observed. Many groups were o b v i o u s l y not ready f o r i n t e r - g r o u p p a r t i c i -p a t i o n . . . . Working Together Before Working With Others A l l u n i t groups at the Y.O.U. d i d not develop at the same r a t e . Some u n i t s were able to p a r t i c i p a t e with others i n s p o r t s a c t i v i t i e s with a g r e a t e r degree of s a t i s f a c t i o n f o r both teams. T h i s was evident when a game was l o s t . At such a time, there was a g r e a t e r a b i l i t y to "take i t , " and a w i l l i n g n e s s to t r y again when p o s s i b l y the winning u n i t might be beaten. However, i n h e l p i n g a u n i t to achieve such a d e s i r a b l e a t t i t u d e , the c o u n s e l l o r would have t o help them to work together, b e f o r e they could work with o t h e r s . C e n t r a l to t h i s task, i s the problem of h e l p i n g a group achieve a g r e a t e r degree of i n t e g r a t i o n than was i n evidence i n most u n i t groups. In the l a s t chapter, the study analyzed the u n i t group s t r u c t u r e ; how a l l groups c o n s i s t e d of two major groups; a sub-group of the more aggressive boys, who tended to dominate a sub-group of the more p a s s i v e boys. Furthermore, the more agg r e s s i v e boys were g e n e r a l l y b e t t e r a t h l e t e s , and welcomed competition. The a b i l i t y to h e l p i n d i v i d u a l s i n both sub-groups with the p a r t i c u l a r problem each p r e s e n t s , w i l l t h e r e f o r e a s s i s t the group towards g r e a t e r i n t e g r a t i o n . In t h i s p r o c e s s , we have seen how a worker uses o b s e r v a t i o n , study and d i a g n o s i s , which determines the r o l e s he w i l l p l a y as the.needs of the group-as-a-whole are r e v e a l e d t o him. However, t h i s process takes time; and i n the meantime, many members of the more aggr e s s i v e sub-group were eager to compete with other u n i t s ; when they do, a number of s e r i o u s c o n f l i c t s develop w i t h i n a group. The more p a s s i v e members get blamed f o r not p a r t i c i p a t i n g ; t h i s i n e v i t a b l y produces more - 83 -anxiety, and heightens the conflict between existing dependency on the more aggressive boy, and rebellion against them. The more aggressive boy on the other hand, finds a convenient a l i b i that justifies his persecution of the more passive boy. Such rationalization helps to maintain his defensive front; that i t is the other fellow that is to blame; that he has no part in this process; and as a result, that the solution is to get rid of a l l "these babies". Helpful Administrative Techniques Limiting the area of choice of any one unit seemed to help the process of unit group integration. During the early stages of the group-based, programme, i t was a matter of one unit deciding, on a majority vote basis, that i t would challenge another unit to a particular sports activity. Scheduling of times, when a unit knew that a particular area was available for its use, partly solved the problem. However, many units had a great deal of difficulty deciding whether to use, or not to use, the f a c i l i t y that was available to them. Other units had difficulty in deciding whether to accept a challenge, or not to accept a challenge. Some compulsory scheduling of inter-unit sports activities was attempted. On a particular day, one unit was scheduled to play another unit, and the members of both unit groups were required to go out to the playing area. When this was f i r s t introduced, some groups often sat around and refused to play softball or soccer. Counsellors had to be helped to tolerate some misbehaviour; but, gradually the resistance gave way because, of course, some boys were eager to play. With a l l the members of the unit in the playing area, boys who had remained isolated in the unit were now with their own group. The counsellors could encourage them to take part in a game in a variety of ways. - 84 -For example, they eould encourage them to actively take part, since they were out on the f i e l d . They could encourage them to involve themselves and identify with the game by-keeping score, or play catch on the sidelines, or kick a ball around, and in other ways, familiarize themselves with a game. As long as boys remained in the units, in isolation, they could never be exposed to a game. This was particularly important for the more passive boy, which might help him in his relations with the more aggressive boy. We have seen that the more passive boy needs to develop s k i l l s of his own, which can help him to gain a greater degree of self-esteem. Since relation-ships between members of a group and inter-group relationships are dynamic, the counsellors were able to discover needs of members of their own groups through this method of exposure. Boys would often reveal the fact that they had never participated in sports activities "on the outside"; •> sometimes, as a result of lack of opportunity, sometimes, because of fear of failure. To provide help for such boys, practice sessions were made available, when a group could go out on i t s own. Under such conditions, free from the tensions of competition, boys were able to increase their s k i l l s . Boys who had l i t t l e s k i l l , could learn without facing the pressures of having their lack of skills result in losing a game. During such practice sessions, i t would,also be easier.for the counsellors to help the more able players give help to the less able players. The Function of the Counsellors A counsellor who is able to help a group achieve a higher degree of integration, results in a higher level of inter-group participation by that group. Because this involves the counsellor in a number of roles, a counsellor who had social work training could help a group more towards - 85 -greater group integration than a counsellor who did not have the benefit of such training. However, whether a counsellor had social work training or not, when inter-group relationships are involved, he can be tempted to de-part from his basic function, and assume less helpful roles, by a number of situations. For example, i f a unit happens to be losing a game, arguments can develop.between player of opposing teams. Under such circumstances, each unit counsellor must devote his major attention to his own group. Particularly, he should not interfere with another counsellor's unit group. Such interference inevitably prevokes considerable hostility. If both counsellors maintain a group-as-a-whole relationship with their own unit groups, and by their attitude, emphasize fair play, and playing the game to the best of one's ability, regardless of which unit is winning, i t was usually possible for one counsellor to interfere successfully, for example, in an argument. At such a time, a counsellor has a unique opportunity of observing individual and group attitudes towards winning or losing, and attitudes that boys have towards one another. Following the game, a counsellor has an opportunity to help the individual member, as problems are related to the group-as-a-whole, and.its participation in the game. It is at such times that a counsellor has the opportunity of finding a possible solution to the di f f i c u l t problem of placement of boys in groups. Although there is no "pat" answer to the problem, as to which boy ought to be in what unit group;; by observation, study, and diagnosis, a counsellor may conclude that a particular boy's need to increase his s k i l l s , might better be achieved in another group. For example, a boy seems to have a greater degree of acceptance in another group, which might be revealed during inter-group participation in sports activities. Here is a record of - 86 -sueh a situation: Today the worker noticed that Frank, who has not taken part in softball, began to play catch with Eric. Worker has not noticed Frank showing an interest in softball before this happened, and i t could be that he might learn i f he were in the same unit as Eric. This is not to suggest that this would necessarily be the sole reason for a unit move; but, such information is important in providing assistance to the worker in charge of a group-based programme when unit placements are being considered. Sports Activities as Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tools At the Y.O.U., soccer and softball were the most popular a c t i v i -ties played on the outside f i e l d . Soccer was by far the most popular. Soccer makes i t possible for a much greater participation by a l l boys in a group regardless of their ability. In softball, there is a much greater need for s k i l l , and the lack of s k i l l of one player can obviously effect the whole course of the game. In running and kicking the bail, there is opportunity for release of tensions and hostility. Any one boy, can also be in the game, and at the same time, play a marginal role; that i s , he can run up and down the f i e l d , and can involve himself to the extent that opportunity and willingness to do so will allow. In playing soft-ball, there is a good deal of standing around and waiting. If a boy is in the game, he is more "on the spot-' as an individual. He must be able to catch and throw the ball straight, and be able to make quick and accurate decisions. He has l i t t l e choice, as to whether he should, or should not involve himself in the play; once in the game, the play is forced on him. The game of soccer therefore, was able to meet the needs of the unit groups at the Y.O.U. to a greater extent than softball. Soccer - 87 -provides outlets for the aggressive boy, and also permits the more passive boy to participate without the requirement of as much individual s k i l l as is the case with softball. In the small gym area, the most popular sports activity was floor hockey. This game was f i r s t proposed by the worker in charge of the programme; but, i t was ruled out by the administration, largely as a result of the fear of what would happen during the game, in an area which was only 60 feet long by 20 feet wide. Floor hockey, played in a manner similar to ice hockey, has two teams, each player has a stick four feet long and about one inch in diameter. Sticks are used to control a thick fel t doughnut-shaped puck about six inches in diameter. The object of the game is to shoot the puck into the opposing team's goal. What would happen, asked the chief custodial officer, i f a total of twenty-six inmates were placed in one area, twelve of them "armed with sticks"? The opportunities afforded a boy to "get even", or a whole unit to settle a score, seemed to assure maybe, perhaps, i t would result in serious injury to boys, or counsellors. The worker in charge of the group-based programme believed that this man-to-man activity was needed; because, i t would provide socially acceptable outlet for pent-up feelings, which otherwise were being released in less acceptable ways. The worker was reasonably sure the game could be kept within acceptable limits, and proposed that the counsellors referee the games, and enforce the rules. The administration gave limited acceptance, provided the worker in charge of programme supervised a l l games. Floor hockey provided vigorous, man-to-man contacts, and was very popular with the more aggressive boys. However, the game was not popular with the more pas-sive boys. Floor hockey does not require many players, only five boys on a team; i t was possible in such a game for a number of boys to remain as — 88 -spectators. Pre-game tension was high. Floor hockey, to a large extent, involved players who were the more aggressive boys in the units. The more passive boys could root for their team, and this provided another avenue towards group integration. Another popular game in the small gym area was dodge b a l l . This game has much in common with soccer. It allows a good deal of choice to the participants. He can do a lot of moving around, he can attempt to catch the ball, dodge the ball, and i f he chooses, he can catch the ball and throw i t . Dodge ball was often used by the counsellors to encourage the more passive boy to throw the ball and hit the more aggressive boy. A boy who is fearful, who is afraid he will get hurt, who is afraid to exert himself; this kind of a game helps him to play a more aggressive role, as part of the game. From such experiences in games he can become more aggres-sive in other l i f e situations. Commenting on competitive games, Slavson-states that: Essential - for human activity. When rivalry takes on the charac-teristics of competition, however, i t no longer is energy produc-ing. Negative effect results, for competition strains and over-stimulates, creating anxieties and tension. 2 Soccer and dodge ball provide lots of activity which satisfies the more aggressive boys. The more passive boys are helped to face competition with much less anxiety than is the case with softball and floor hockey. Yet a l l these games are useful tools in the rehabilitation process. Soccer and dodge ball provide a greater, degree of choice of action; actu-ally, provide moments when a boy can escape the activity that is going on, 2 Slavson, S.E. Recreation and the Total Personality. Association Press, New York, N.Y. 1956. p. 91 - 89 -while s t i l l being a part of the team. Softball and floor hockey, however, while very popular with the more aggressive boy can create a good deal of anxiety for him, as well as for the more passive boy. These two games allow l i t t l e freedom of choice; a boy has few, i f any moments of escape during a game; instead, the play is constantly being forced on him, and he can be-come anxious in attempting to meet the challenge. The more aggressive boy can meet this challenge quite adequately; but, the more passive boy often quits the game, or is scolded out. Helping groups to play together is therefore intimately related to helping them work together as a group. Sports activities, as well as other activities that might be selected for analysis, have diagnostic, cathartic, and therapeutic elements. However, i t is the goal in program-ming that is important, and this has been clearly outlined by Redl and Wineman. 3 These authors use the term "mental hygiene approach to programming," and state that: No matter which "goal" we have in mind in our programme planning, whether a given programme is any good or not depends primarily on the question of whether i t achieves i t s goal with-out doing damage to the individual or the group involved in other respects. 4 Use of Y.O.U. Teams in order to provide opportunities for the better players who were usually the more aggressive boys, a Y.O.U. team was organized which represented Y.O.U. in competition with "outside" teams. Such a team provides another technique of helping this sub-group, who are inclined to dominate 3 Redl F., and Wineman, D. Controls from Within, The Free Press Glencoe, I l l i n o i s , 1952. See in particular Chapter 2. "Programming for Ego Support". . . . 4 Redl F., and Wineman, D. Ibid p. 85. - 90 -others, learn a greater degree of self-control. Since this team repre-sented Y.O.U., i t was stressed that athletic ability and a reasonable standard of behaviour was necessary, in order to be on the team. This is not an easy combination of cr i t e r i a to assess. Since some of the most, aggressive boys in our institution were also the best players, i t was necessary to recognize that their athletic ability was an important source of status. A reasonable standard of behaviour, must, therefore, be inter-preted as reasonable, for a particular boy, at a particular stage in his development. The desire to produce a winning team can then be placed in proper-perspective. If a good relationship is established be.tween the counsellor-coach, and the team, good athletic ability and a reasonable standard of behaviour, are useful criteria that can help boys to exercise an increasingly greater degree of self-control. Y.O.U. had two teams, a softball team, and a soccer team; both teams played in leagues in the com-munity. Programme Planning Committee The youthful offender needs to learn to make decisions with others, within a democratic frame of reference. Furthermore, by partici-pating in. decision-making in matters that affect himself and others, boys are helped to identify with the administration; in this manner, they can learn a new concept of authority, different from the one that is usually held by them. , In a correctional institution, the concept that a group of prisoners, who represent various groups within the institution, might par-ticipate.in some.areas of decision-making, is a new concept, and i t has to be developed. Some unit groups,., who have achieved a greater degree of inte-gration, are better able, to have one of their group members represent them - 91 -at a programme planning committee; however, i f boys are to learn the meaning of self-determination, and what i t means to represent others, they need a structure that can give them such experience. This formed the basis for introducing a programme planning committee. , The group-based programme introduced Friday night movies at the Y.O.U. For a time, the selection of films was made by the worker in charge of programme. This method of selection was then changed, to a,procedure of sending a film catalogue, in rotation, to a l l of the unit groups, so that a particular group, with the help of a counsellor, could draw up a l i s t of films they would like to view; from the l i s t s submitted, the most popular films would be booked. From this method of selecting films, the concept of meeting as a committee was introduced; each unit group was asked to elect one or two representatives who would take the l i s t of .film choices from each unit, and meet as a group to finalize the l i s t of films to be booked. The function of this group, under the supervision of a group worker, was expanded to include a number of activities affecting a l l of the unit groups. From i t s inception, when the programme planning committee concerned i t s e l f with the choice of films, i t then progressed to discuss and plan such inter-group activities as table tennis tournaments, bridge and whist drives, soc-cer and softball tournaments, fie l d and track events, and plans for Christmas and New Years' programme. Once the programme planning committee began to meet regularly, i t needed a great deal of support in order to keep the,focus of the youths on planning inter-group activities. "Beef sessions" were more attractive to them than discussing and planning inter-unit programme. One consistent "beef" had to do with the food served at the Y.O.U. To afford an opportunity for a l l groups to present their ideas - 92 -relative to the quality and quantity of food, a sub-committee was estab-lished which met with the chief custodial officer, whose responsibility i t was, to purchase food stuffs. Despite counsellors' efforts to effect demo-cratic representation from each, group, there was a tendency for delegates not to want to be elected. Volunteers for programme planning meetings proved to be the more successful method of obtaining delegates. However, whenever a "red hot issue" was to be discussed, such as a contested winner of a softball or soccer tournamentj a number of boys from each unit wanted to attend, and i t was usually the. more aggressive members of the unit groups. Here is an example of the committee "in action". Despite efforts by some members to blame others, to make the workers appear to be unfair, a delegate to the committee come up with a suggestion which provided a solution to a difficulty that existed in a l l units. On one occasion, a number of units had been penalized because they caused disturbances after lights-out. The group worker called a meeting of the programme planning committee to discuss this. The more aggressive members in the unit groups had complained the most about the. disciplinary action that had been taken, and they attended this particular meeting, "in force". Some delegates to the meeting, argued that the disciplinary action taken against the units was unfair; that noise occurred as a result of someone telling a joke, and that everybody, naturally, had laughed. Others, maintained that a few boys in the unit were restless, and as a result of not being able, to sleep, they talked; why should a l l be penalized -because of the few? The group worker clarified the policy, that this misbehaviour had to do with unit groups, and. that i t v/as up to each group to deal with these problems. This brought the familiar response that "everybody in j a i l does his own time"; and, "why don't you penalize those who make the noise"? The group worker replied that he would not ask the counsellors to spy on the units in an attempt to catch the responsible boys. He expressed the idea that this was a chance for boys to use their influence in their own units to help solve this problem. Some members of the committee felt that this was the counsellor's job, and i f he couldn't find out who was responsible for the noise, a l l of the group should not be penalized. One delegate, however, suggested that i f crystal sets were provided, the boys in the units would have something to do after lights out, and up until the time they f e l l asleep. The group worker agreed to present their request to the administration; but, he would only agree to this on a group basis; that i s , the committee were suggesting that a l l members of a unit group would benefit by having crystal sets, therefore, the group-as-a-whole would have to agree to accept the responsibility that after lights out, they would settle down and be quiet. He asked that the delegates from the unit groups discuss i t with their own groups on that basis. Agree-ment on this particular group problem was reached, and crystal sets and earphones were obtained for the use of the unit groups after lights out. A number of other achievements made possible by the programme planning committee were recorded by a group work student, who worked with the programme planning committee as a fie l d work placement. After meet-ing with this group for six months, he commented that: As the group began to feel, and were made to feel that they were recognized as a group within the Y.O.U., they began to make their meetings "beef sessions" rather than sessions for constructive planning and making recommendations. However, the programme planning committee during the time that I worked with them, and in our final evaluation, felt that they had . helped to bring about: - 94 -1. Several tournaments (table tennis, whist and bridge, and soccer.) 2. The incorporation of the unit groups ideas in Christmas programme. 3. The establishment of a Y.O.U. newspaper and the publishing of three editions. 4. Special features, jazz appreciation night, and a school for umpires and referees. An institution programme planning committee is not only able to help iri;the organization of activities, there is also the important carry-over to other areas within the institution. Gisela Knopka comments on this aspect of a programme planning committee that, They (planning groups) also f u l f i l l a purpose by improving the climate of the institution. Human beings have different and more positive feelings i f they participate in a common endea-vour. The youngster who feels that he has some say about some aspect of institutional living will be much more willing to accept decisions that have to be made without his consent. 5 A programme planning committee is an extremely d i f f i c u l t area in a correctional setting, to develop and sustain. Unit groups send to such meetings individuals who reflect the unit's attitudes, not only to-wards what is being discussed, but what results the committee produces. Whenever an important issue affecting the boys' welfare was to be dis-cussed, the higher status members of the unit would either attend the committee's meetings, or they would t e l l their unit delegates what to say. No matter how clearly the function of such a committee was explained, certain techniques had to be adopted to make sure programme planning committee survived, as one method, whereby democratic concepts could be 5 Knopkaj Gisela = loc. c i t . p. 220 learned in practice. A l l counsellors had to be briefed at staff meetings concerning what went on, so that delegates would accurately interpret what was said. Counsellors were also asked to encourage a l l members of the unit group to attend, on a rotation basis. Delegates to the programme planning committee tested the staff member who met with them in an ex-tremely direct manner. He was the representative of the institution and an authority figure. No matter how clearly he stated the function of such a committee, a l l aspects of the l i f e of the boys in the Y.O.U. would sooner or later be brought up by some delegate. Experience with such a committee suggests that results are very important. It i s , therefore, considered basic that the staff member who meets with such a group has authority to do things; i f the responsibility of meeting with such a group is delegated, there must be concrete evidence that authority to make deci-sions has also been delegated. It is obvious that a number of requests by delegates concerning many aspects of the l i f e of boys in the Y.O.U. were impossible to meet; however, such requests cannot be ruled out as not the function of this committee; on the contrary, explanation and clarification of such requests is necessary. The decision to set up a programme planning council implies the desire, on the part of the institution, to receive suggestions from such a committee, relative to planning in the area of inter-group activity. Gradually, the delegates will test the genuineness of this desire by asking a question that might appear to be irrelevant. One such example is illustrated, when one of the unit delegates commented that, " i f the Y.O.U. trusts boys, why is a counsellor always with the group?" Why is there always someone watching you, as though you couldn't be trusted?" Reasons for such practices have to be given. The facts of escapes, and consequences of adding further sentence to hoys who do escape, given in a brief forthright manner fosters constructive attitudes to the facts of an escape. The programme planning committee, or whatever such a committee might be called, that attempts to discuss and plan a c t i v i -ties for more than one unit group seems to develop along lines similar to that which occurs in a unit. The more passive boys are perhaps sent as delegates in order to determine the attitudes of the staff member who is delegated to work with such a committee. When important issues arise, a unit group may send a more aggressive member of the group, or i t may care-fully instruct a delegate what to say. Although no records of the programme planning committee were kept over a sufficiently long period of time to follow the development, the next stage may well be that more of the aggres-sive boys, the leaders in the unit groups, would attend the meetings. This might correspond with the emergence of such leaders in the groups, or i t may not be related; i t is suggested, however, that a similar kind of testing that occurs in the units, also occurs in programme planning groups. Cyclical Nature of Planning Due to the fact that, the Y.O.U. population is transient in nature, a certain "cycle in planning" with such a programme committee is indicated. For example, certain aspects of overall programme may be devel-oped as a result of meeting the needs and interests of a particular group of boys. However, there will always come a time when the process whereby this has been achieved is not appreciated by a l l of the unit groups. When this condition obtains, i t is necessary to start a l l over again. Sometimes this may only involve discussing the process whereby a certain development has been possible; at other times, i t will necessitate an actual cut back in programme, and again working through with the unit groups involved, so that achievements in programme development can actually be experienced. Unless this is recognized a stage in development can be reached where everyone takes "things for granted", under such conditions the programme planning committee becomes unproductive. CHAPTER 5 BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN PRISON AND COMMUNITY For every y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r , the time comes sooner or l a t e r when he leaves the Young Offender's U n i t and "goes back to the community". F a c i l i t i e s and a c t i v i t i e s can be i n t r o d u c e d , as an i n t e g r a l p a r t of programme, t h a t w i l l help the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r i n h i s r e t u r n t o the community; f a c i l i t i e s and a c t i v i t i e s t h a t he may have considered "square John s t u f f " ; o r , f a c i l i t i e s and a c t i v i t i e s t h a t can help him overcome the r e a l sense of i s o l a t i o n he so a c u t e l y f e e l s . These are the kinds of " b r i d g e s " the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r needs. G i s e l a Knopka comments on t h i s aspect of the r e h a b i l i t a t i v e t a s k : We are not t a l k i n g about su g a r - c o a t i n g i n s t i t u t i o n a l l i f e . We are not t a l k i n g about " f r i l l s " to make l i f e " s o f t " compared to what i t i s on the o u t s i d e . We are not s e n t i m e n t a l i s t s . As group workers we are p u t t i n g demands on human beings wherever they are by a s k i n g them not to simply do. what we t e l l them but to l e a r n to l i v e i n s i t u a t i o n s which demand r e s p o n s i b l e behaviour. 1 The y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r spent a c o n s i d e r a b l e p e r i o d o f time i n the 2 Y.O.U. Moving these boys out of the Main Gaol p o p u l a t i o n and i n t o a separate b u i l d i n g and t h e r e , p r o v i d i n g them with the o p p o r t u n i t y of g a i n i n g v o c a t i o n a l and work s k i l l s , as w e l l as o p p o r t u n i t y f o r c o n s t r u c t i v e use o f l e i s u r e - t i m e , was i n i t s e l f , a tremendous advance i n b r i d g i n g the gap between the community and the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r . This i s i n s t a r k c o n t r a s t to what i s u s u a l l y the case f o r the young offender who i s sent 1 Knopka, G., op. c i t . . p. 289 2 Eighteen months i s an average sentence f o r t h i s group. to p r i s o n f o r punishment; and as a n a t u r a l consequence of t h i s a t t i t u d e , he has very l i t t l e o p p o r t u n i t y of l e a r n i n g anything of a c o n s t r u c t i v e nature; the gap between the community and h i m s e l f i s , t h e r e f o r e , f u r t h e r widened. T h i s punishment concept, and i t s i m p l i c a t i o n s , i s undergoing marked change. When the Y.O.U. opened, i t was equipped with some items which would be a p a r t of the l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n o f the young o f f e n d e r i n the commu-n i t y . While he d i d have to l i v e behind bars and s l e e p i n a barred c e l l , the d i f f e r e n c e s i n l i v i n g i n the community, and the Y.O.U. was l e s s e n e d by having k n i v e s , f o r k s and spoons, p l a t e s and cups f o r h i s use at mealtimes; and, t a b l e s , c h a i r s , c h e s t e r f i e l d , r a d i o , and small games i n the u n i t s . In h i s c e l l , he had a c l o t h e s cupboard i n which he could keep h i s p e r s o n a l e f f e c t s . For h i s bed, he was provided with sheets, p i l l o w s l i p , and a bed spread. A l l such items c o n t r i b u t e d to a more normal l i v i n g s i t u a t i o n . From i t s i n c e p t i o n , the Y.O.U. s t a f f wore a c i v i l i a n s u i t , i n s t e a d of the u s u a l p r i s o n uniform; t h i s , f o r many boys, c o u l d have an important s i g n i f i -cance. V i s i t s from members of h i s f a m i l y , h i s f r i e n d s , as w e l l as others who could be h e l p f u l to him were encouraged, and v i s i t s were h e l d across a t a b l e i n s t e a d of across a more i s o l a t i n g b a r r i e r , such as a g l a s s or f i n e metal screen which i s q u i t e common i n j a i l s . T h i s i m p l i e s t h a t the t o t a l s e t t i n g needs to be c a r e f u l l y planned before i t i s b u i l t and equipped. Unless t h i s i s done, the very design of an i n s t i t u t i o n can throw many bloc k s i n the way of boys and s t a f f . For example, i n most c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s f ood i s obtained by w a i t i n g i n l o n g l i n e - u p s . The need to take d i s c i p l i n a r y a c t i o n to keep people " i n l i n e " while w a i t i n g , may w e l l make the task of an i n s t r u c t o r , who i s to r e c e i v e boys a f t e r the meal i n a c l a s s s i t u a t i o n , much more d i f f i c u l t . -The c a r r y o v e r of emotions from one area to another i s a well-known - 100 -phenomenon in correctional institutions. In the Y . O . U . , small groups of hoys went out to a table and ate their meals adjacent to their units. Pood was "brought to the table by the kitchen crew, thus avoiding the n evi ls" inherent in mass feeding of individuals. The entire atmosphere of an institution can change, as a result of using pleasing colour combinations on walls and ceil ings. This was particularly noticeable at Y . O . U . , when periodically, the whole inside of the building was re-painted, using a different colour combination. It is important that furniture be practical; that i t can stand-up under the impact of a boy who might jump on a chesterfield. Boys need some leeway, without having to face interference of a staff member who must constantly remind boys to be careful with furniture, chairs, etc. In some instances hobby and craft material wi l l be destroyed by a boy. This can occur when he becomes frustrated, because the material wi l l not respond in the way he desires. This is not to suggest that destruction and waste i s condoned on the basis of a boy expressing himself; but, a certain amount of destruction may be necessary as he learns to accept limitations that are inherent in a l l hobby and craft materials. This wi l l have an important implication for the group worker in budget planning for a group-based programme. One writer, commenting on f a c i l i t i e s and equipment for the kind of rehabilitative task envolved, states that: It is therefore important that the amount and type of materials available and the budget for them are direetly proportionate to the specific c l i n i c a l task, not to the average customs of budget committees or material producing firms. 3 3 Redl, P . , and Wineman, D. , op. c i t . . p. 46. - 101 -A c t i v i t i e s as a Normal P a r t of Community L i v i n g S p o r t s , games, hobbys and c r a f t a c t i v i t i e s can hel p boys r e l a t e to one another i n a group; the values of such a c t i v i t i e s , i n h e l p i n g boys g a i n s t a t u s and a g r e a t e r self-esteem, have a l r e a d y been d i s c u s s e d . A c t i v -i t i e s can hel p l e s s e n the sense of i s o l a t i o n f e l t by a l l y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r s . Furthermore, a c t i v i t i e s can be i n t r o d u c e d , t h a t the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r may have considered "square John*' a c t i v i t i e s . In h e l p i n g him to p a r t i c i p a t e i n such a c t i v i t i e s , he i s i n e f f e c t helped to r e l a t e to n o n - c r i m i n a l groups through such a c t i v i t i e s . Going to the movies i s a popular pastime f o r a l l boys "on the o u t s i d e " . Soon a f t e r the i n t r o d u c t i o n o f the group-based programme, a twice a month showing of an entertainment f i l m was scheduled as an i n t e g r a l p a r t of programme. Going swimming i s another popular a c t i v i t y f o r t h i s age group. The programme p l a n n i n g committee had asked i f t h i s would be p o s s i b l e , and f o l l o w i n g a request made to the Warden at O a k a l l a , p e r m i s s i o n was gi v e n to the u n i t groups at Y.O.U. to go swimming at the west end of Deer l a k e , which forms the North-East boundary of O a k a l l a p r o p e r t y . Christmas and New Year prov i d e the i n s t i t u t i o n a l worker with a r e a l c h a l l e n g e , i f some of the " o u t s i d e " h o l i d a y s p i r i t i s to be captured. P r e p a r a t i o n f o r Christmas began e a r l y i n November. Mimeographed sheets, g i v i n g a ; l i s t of the items t h a t could be sent i n t o Y.O.U., were made a v a i l a b l e to boys f o r m a i l i n g to r e l a t i v e s and f r i e n d s . The l i s t i n c l u d e d such f a v o u r i t e s a t Christmas time as nuts, candies, mandarin oranges, cakes, eookies, and the l i k e . For boys who were not l i k e l y to get a p a r c e l , about 20% o f the p o p u l a t i o n , p a r c e l s were made up by a good f r i e n d of the Y.O.U., through the auspices of the South Vancouver S o f t b a l l & Soccer A s s o c i a t i o n ; - 102 -i n which league, the Y.O.U. was a p a r t i c i p a t i n g member. Furthermore, a good d e a l of s h a r i n g , by those who r e c e i v e d p a r c e l s with boys who d i d not r e c e i v e a p a r c e l , was g e n e r a l l y i n evidence i n a l l u n i t groups. Christmas t r e e s and d e c o r a t i o n s , complete with s t r i n g s of l i g h t s , were provided f o r each group; as a consequence, the gloom surrounding the spending of Christmas i n j a i l was n o t i c e a b l y d i s p e r s e d by the time Christmas dinner was served by members of Young Off e n d e r s ' U n i t s t a f f . Hew Year's Eve ean be a p a r t i c u l a r l y d i f f i c u l t time i n a j a i l s e t t i n g , s i n c e s o c i e t y approves, t h a t f o r t h i s one n i g h t , "anything goes". The normal r e a c t i o n on the p a r t of boys to New Year's Eve can be a source of unusual b i t t e r n e s s , and resentment; as a r e s u l t , a g r e a t d e a l of h o s t i l i t y can be expected. A c t i v i t i e s , c a r e f u l l y planned, can p r o v i d e some measure o f s a t i s f a c t i o n whieh tends to reduce h o s t i l i t y . F i l m s , u n i t q u i z z e s , sing-song, and s m a l l games, p r o v i d e d t h i n g s to do. A measure o f f e s t i v i t y was i n t r o d u c e d through the use o f food and s o f t d r i n k s ; as a r e s u l t , boys would end the evening, f e e l i n g they had had f u n . Behaviour of s t a f f can a l s o c o n t r i b u t e to s e t t l i n g boys who may become o v e r l y - e x c i t e d ; f o r example, at midnight the l i g h t s were turned on, and the New Year was greeted by the youths with h o l l e r i n g , pounding and h o o t i n g . The c o u n s e l l o r s would make the rounds of a l l u n i t s , shaking hands with the boys and wishing them a "Happy New Year". F o l l o w i n g t h i s , the Young Offenders' U n i t would s e t t l e down, and by 1»00 a.m., a l l was q u i e t . T h i s i s i n marked c o n t r a s t to the bedlam t h a t u s u a l l y breaks out i n most j a i l s , and continues with l i t t l e i n t e r r u p t i o n up u n t i l 3*00 or 4J00 a.m. A c t i v i t i e s as an Exposure to Non-Delinquent Behaviour To the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r , h o l i d a y s such as May 24th, J u l y 1 s t and September 1 s t are o f t e n a s s o c i a t e d with drunkeness, which o f t e n ends up i n f u r t h e r d i f f i c u l t i e s with the law. G r a d u a l l y , i t became a Y.O.U. t r a d i t i o n - 103 -to have a f i e l d and t r a c k meet on h o l i d a y s . When the i d e a was f i r s t i n t r o -duced, i t was viewed as "square John s t u f f " . D i s c u s s i o n and p l a n n i n g , i n v o l v i n g the boys through t h e i r programme p l a n n i n g committee, helped to reduce d e f e n s i v e n e s s . Track and f i e l d meets were planned on a group b a s i s , with a t o t a l of s i x a c t i v i t i e s : 1 0 0 yd. dash, running broadjump, standing broadjump, high jump, di s c u s throwing, and shot p u t t . The a c t i v i t i e s were numbered one to s i x , and the s i x u n i t groups took t h e i r p l a c e s with t h e i r c o u n s e l l o r s , a c c o r d i n g to the numbered events. They then p a r t i c i p a t e d , as a group, i n each event, u n t i l a l l u n i t s had made the rounds. T o t a l scores obtained by each member of a group were added, and when t h i s was d i v i d e d by the number of boys i n a group, a group average was obtained and recorded. The f i r s t and second p l a c i n g u n i t s were awarded a p r i z e ; boys who obtained f i r s t and second h i g h e s t score i n each o f the s i x events were presented with a r i b b o n . To he l p make a t r a c k and f i e l d day as f e s t i v e an o c c a s i o n as p o s s i b l e , music was provided by a r e c o r d p l a y e r and p u b l i c address system. Ice cream b a r s , d i x i e cups, and s o f t d r i n k s were provided to a l l boys. The t o t a l "we f e e l i n g " t h a t developed, on such o c c a s i o n s , was s u f f i c i e n t c o n f i r -mation, th a t while only a very few boys had taken p a r t i n such events i n the community, a l l boys d e r i v e d r e a l s a t i s f a c t i o n from t h i s community e n t e r p r i s e . T h i s i n t r o d u c e s the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r to a new concept of the meaning of a community. . . . The h o l i d a y programmes never f a i l e d to s u r p r i s e . The boys were s u r p r i s e d t h a t such programmes were o f f e r e d - a t the Y.O.U. They were s u r p r i s e d t h a t they d e r i v e d b a s i c s a t i s f a c t i o n s from such programmes, t h a t i n some i n s t a n c e s might be remembered as unhappy times "on the o u t s i d e " . Oftentimes a boy would mention, i n a group, t h a t he was very unhappy at the prospect o f having to spend Christmas " l o c k e d up"; as a r e s u l t , another - 104 -youth might r e a s s u r e him th a t " t h i n g s at Y.O.U. are not had"; t h a t there w i l l be t r e e s , and l i g h t s , and l o t s to e a t . The d e p r i v a t i o n s i n the l i v e s of a l l o f the boys at the Y.O.U. were o f t e n r e v e a l e d at times when a boy's b i r t h d a t e a r r i v e d . For the 15 to 19 year o l d youth i n the community, whether he has a cake on h i s b i r t h d a y or not, does not seem to be cause f o r a g r e a t deal of concern on h i s p a r t . However, at the Y.O.U. requests to have a cake baked f o r one's b i r t h d a y was an accepted p a r t of programme, and a l l boys looked forward to having a cake baked f o r t h e i r b i r t h d a y s . A l l y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r s , f o r one reason or another, have missed out on many a c t i v i t i e s t h a t might a f f o r d a chance of meeting t h e i r l e i s u r e - t i m e needs "on the o u t s i d e " i n a c o n s t r u c t i v e way. When boys were asked: What d i d you do i n your spare time when you were i n the community? The answer might be: "Oh, nothing much, I j u s t hung around t h i s or t h a t c o f f e e shop"; or, " I went to the show o f t e n " ; or, " I d i d n ' t do anything i n p a r t i c u l a r " . A wide exposure to a c t i v i t i e s t h e r e f o r e , i s necessary. On one o c c a s i o n , a s t r i n g q u a r t e t was i n v i t e d to the Y.O.U., and a l l of the boys were i n v i t e d to a t tend the c o n c e r t . About twenty boys turned out f o r t h i s event. While they were not p a r t i c u l a r l y a t t e n t i v e to the chamber music t h a t the q u a r t e t played, at the end of each s e l e c t i o n , they clapped and shouted bravos, and the l i k e , j u s t as they had heard audiences do on the r a d i o . There were overtones o f mocking t h i s "square John s t u f f " , o f course; but, they behaved i n a manner t h a t they had heard on the r a d i o , and f e l t was p r o p e r . Non-delinquent Groups and the R e h a b i l i t a t i v e Process Contacts with non-delinquent groups of adolescents, and other groups from the community are important; because, p a r t o f the r e h a b i l i t a t i v e t a s k has to do with the p r i n c i p l e , t h a t , " i f a reformee i s to abandon a t t i t u d e s , - 105 -motives, and o v e r t behaviour p a t t e r n s which are considered u n d e s i r a b l e , he must be a s s i m i l a t e d i n t o a group which presents him with, and supports new 4 a t t i t u d e s , motives, and behaviour p a t t e r n s " . T h i s i s perhaps the most d i f f i c u l t task f a c i n g a y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r , and the sooner the process of i n t e g r a t i o n with "normal" group begins, the g r e a t e r the chance o f su c c e s s . The use of v o l u n t e e r s i s p a r t i c u l a r i l y f a m i l i a r to group workers; much of the work of s o c i a l agencies would not be p o s s i b l e without the help of the v o l u n t e e r . In the community, they not o n l y work d i r e c t l y with groups, they a c t u a l l y make i t p o s s i b l e f o r an agency to o f f e r a wider range o f a c t i v i t i e s due to t h e i r s p e c i a l s k i l l s and knowledge. In a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n , v o l u n t e e r s not o n l y c o n t r i b u t e to programme i n t h i s way; perhaps more important, they p r o v i d e an o p p o r t u n i t y f o r the y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r to form a r e l a t i o n s h i p with a d u l t s i n s o c i e t y - e x a c t l y what they had found d i f f i c u l t to do, and i n many cases impossible to do. To f a c i l i t a t e t h i s process o f i n t e g r a t i o n , a number of concrete steps can be taken. The programme p l a n n i n g committee was helped to s e t up a school f o r umpires. Referees, as w e l l as v o l u n t e e r s s k i l l e d i n these areas, were r e -c r u i t e d , i n order to d i s c u s s the r u l e s of s o f t b a l l and soccer, and, how to i n t e r p r e t the r u l e s during a game. Volunteers were made a v a i l a b l e to u n i t s to help them develop t h e i r s k i l l s i n w e i g h t l i f t i n g , t a b l e t e n n i s , and chess. Volunteers were obtained to teach hobby and c r a f t s k i l l s such as leatherwork, woodcarving, and c o p p e r c r a f t . One v o l u n t e e r was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r developing a Y.O.U. s o f t b a l l and soccer team. Sue to h i s contacts with a number of o u t s i d e teams, one team was i n v i t e d i n to p l a y , and i n t u r n , Y.O.U. teams were granted 4 Oressey, Donald., op. c i t . , p. 26 - 106 -p e r m i s s i o n by the Attorney-General's Department to p l a y of the " o u t s i d e " . I t w i l l be of i n t e r e s t to p o i n t out, t h a t year a f t e r year, the Y.O.U. teams went " o u t s i d e " d u r i n g s p r i n g , summer and f a l l months on an average o f twice a month, and no boy on the team ever attempted an escape. Over a p e r i o d of time, t h i s aspect of programme became f i r m l y e s t a b l i s h e d , and a Y.O.U. s o f t -b a l l and soccer team j o i n e d an o u t s i d e s o f t b a l l and soccer league, and competed with other teams.. Games were played at v a r i o u s parks i n the Greater Vancouver area, as w e l l as.at the Y.O.U. A l l of these " o u t s i d e " teams, c o n s i s t e d of boys i n the same age group as the boys from Y.O.U. Such co n t a c t s with normal groups o f adolescents i n the community are important; because, p a r t o f the r e h a b i l i t a t i v e t a s k has to do with removing the "sense of i s o l a t i o n " t h a t e x i s t s between a group o f adoles c e n t s who do not behave i n a s o c i a l l y -a cceptable manner, and a group of adolescents who do - the "square Johns". Before a game was to be played with one of these groups, e i t h e r a t Y.O.U. or i n the community, i t was common f o r the boys a t Y.O.U. to wonder " i f these guys j u s t come i n to l o o k at us?" or, " I wonder what t h e y ' l l be l i k e ? " The y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r r e a l l y wants to know: W i l l they accept us? As one w r i t e r has p o i n t e d out, such groups can be h e l p f u l i n p r o v i d i n g " p o s i t i v e c o n t a c t s with groups which w i l l d i r e c t l y or i n d i r e c t l y implant i n the 5 p r i s o n e r the a n t i c r i m i n a l values of the l a r g e r s o c i e t y . " As i s the case i n other areas where group work s e r v i c e s are o f f e r e d , there i s a shortage, of persons who w i l l v o l u n t e e r t h e i r s e r v i c e s . At the Y.O.U., they c o n t r i b u t e d t h e i r s k i l l s , as w e l l as pr o v i d e d an op p o r t u n i t y f o r boys to r e l a t e to them as persons who came from the 5 Gressey, Donald R., bp• c i t . , p . 22 - 107 -community; but, there was a n o t i c e a b l e l a c k of the boys i d e n t i f y i n g such persons as a u t h o r i t y f i g u r e s . However, t h i s can l e a d to d i f f i c u l t y , , and i n d i c a t e s the need f o r c a r e f u l o r i e n t a t i o n and s u p e r v i s i o n o f the v o l u n t e e r . He i s p a r t i c u l a r l y l i a b l e to be asked to do favours ; f o r example, to b r i n g items i n from the " o u t s i d e " . The v o l u n t e e r can be p l a c e d i n a d i f f i c u l t p o s i t i o n i f such matters are not d i s c u s s e d with him before hand. S e c u r i t y r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , t h a t are a p a r t of working i n a c o r r e c t i o n a l s e t t i n g , a l s o present a challenge i n u s i n g v o l u n t e e r s . A l l s t a f f have a l e g a l o b l i g a t i o n to prevent escapes, and c l o s e s u p e r v i s i o n i s necessary on t h a t account. The nature of t h i s t a s k must be explained to the v o l u n t e e r , i n order to avo i d an u n n e c e s s a r i l y heightened f e e l i n g t h a t he i s an o u t s i d e r . A p a r t i c u l a r l y g r eat need e x i s t s i n p r o v i d i n g v i s i t o r s to boys who have none. T h i s i s an area of p o t e n t i a l s e r v i c e f o r the v o l u n t e e r . As a r e s u l t of some experience by a few v o l u n t e e r s who undertook t h i s task, v i s i t i n g i s more s u c c e s s f u l when the v o l u n t e e r i s able to v i s i t a boy where there i s an area of common i n t e r e s t . Perhaps boy and v o l u n t e e r , l i v e d i n some area at one time; or, they had some other common b a s i s of i n t e r e s t ; with such commoners, v i s i t s continued over a c o n s i d e r a b l e p e r i o d of time. The b a s i c c o n s i d e r a t i o n , t h e r e f o r e , i s t h a t t h e r e should be a b a s i c f o r mutual s a t i s f a c t i o n on the p a r t of the v o l u n t e e r and the boy. Women as a Normal F a c t of Community L i v i n g The importance o f the sex f a c t o r i n p r i s o n l i f e i s only beginning to be openly d i s c u s s e d . U n t i l r e c e n t l y the problem was screened from the p u b l i c eye with p r u d i s h evasiveness; even now, i t i s rec o g n i z e d i n many p r i s o n s only i n the negative f a s h i o n of random - 108 -r e p r e s s i o n and r o u t i n e punishment, or by t r y i n g to brush i t away with r i d i c u l e or d e c i s i o n * 6 For the young o f f e n d e r i n h i s teens, i t i s of b a s i c importance to p r o v i d e him with o p p o r t u n i t i e s to form r e l a t i o n s h i p s with women to help him i n h i s psycho-sexual development. The m a j o r i t y o f boys f i n d sex o u t l e t s i n such a s e t t i n g as Y.0«U. through masturbation. F o r many i n d i v i d u a l s t h i s may not be too damaging; f o r o t h e r s , i t might w e l l f o s t e r a r e t r e a t to sex s o l i t u d e r a t h e r than run the r i s k of he t e r o s e x u a l c o u r t s h i p . As f a r as homosexuality i s concerned, the removal of boys from the o l d e r men prevents b r u t a l e x p l o i t a t i o n t h a t can be a s e r i o u s problem i n a g a o l s e t t i n g where l i t t l e s e g r e g a t i o n o f p r i s o n e r s i s c a r r i e d out. In a s e t t i n g such as the Y.O.U. homosexuality i s always a p o s s i b i l i t y ; but, sexual developments i s dynamic, and through casework, and the i n c l u s i o n of women i n programme the boys' i n t e r e s t s and d r i v e s can be a s s i s t e d to focus on a he t e r o s e x u a l r e l a -t i o n s h i p , so t h a t h i s enforced s e c l u s i o n from women w i l l not be an added d i f f i c u l t y when he e v e n t u a l l y r e t u r n s to the community. The i n t r o d u c t i o n o f women as s t a f f members at the Y.O.U. who worked d i r e c t l y with groups of boys r e p r e s e n t s w a f i r s t " i n i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r y o u t h f u l o f f e n d e r s i n Canada. The i n i t i a l step i n t h i s p i o n e e r i n g venture was a v i s i t made by a group of men and women students who were t a k i n g Criminology a t U.B.C. F o l l o w i n g t h i s s u c c e s s f u l f i e l d t r i p , a t o t a l of f i v e women were taken on Y.O.U. s t a f f . Two women worked i n the V o c a t i o n a l programme; one as a cook, the other as a sch o o l t e a c h e r . Three women worked i n the group-based programme; one of the women i n t h i s p a r t of the programme had t r a i n i n g i n s o c i a l work. 6 Block, Herbert A., " S o c i a l Pressures of Confinement Toward Sexual D e v i a t i o n " , The J o u r n a l of S o c i a l Therapy, V o l . 1, No. 3 , A p r i l 1955, p. 112 - 109 -The f i e l d t r i p , made by the student group, c r e a t e d a g r e a t d e a l of i n t e r e s t and s p e c u l a t i o n on the p a r t of the youths. Here i s a group process r e c o r d of what t r a n s p i r e d i n one u n i t group. The boys' r e a c t i o n to the proposed v i s i t went the f u l l range -from e n t h u s i a s t i c to f e a r f u l . Once they had s e t t l e d down, one of the more agg r e s s i v e boys i n the group l i t e r a l l y took charge. He c a l l e d a u n i t meeting, and plans were d i s c u s s e d . There was a great d e s i r e to appear " a t our b e s t " . They would r e a l l y c l e a n up the u n i t . A number of boys asked f o r a c l e a n change of c l o t h e s , c l e a n bedspreads, and a few e x t r a to pl a c e over the t a b l e s * The group decided to c o l l e c t as much money as p o s s i b l e . This was l a t e r changed by the boys to a maximum o f 25 cents from a l l those who c o u l d a f f o r d i t * Requests to take money out of p e r s o n a l accounts were submitted. There was c o n s i d e r a b l e concern over what they should buy; f i n a l l y , they agreed on purchasing some candy. On the day the f i e l d t r i p was to occur, the u n i t was s p o t l e s s , and the boys were " s p i c and span". Two t a b l e s , f o r such games as cards, checkers, monopoly and the l i k e , were set out. On each t a b l e was p l a c e d a generous bowl of candy. The t e n s i o n was c o n s i d e r a b l e , and many boys attempted to r e l i e v e t h e i r mounting a n x i e t i e s by walking up and down the u n i t ; while some asked i f they looked okay; others wondered i f the u n i t looked okay* A number of boys were concerned at what they should do i f they met someone they knew on the " o u t s i d e " ; others asked what they should do when they a r r i v e d , and many seemed to f o r g e t a l l the plans they had made concerning card, checker, monopoly and t a b l e t e n n i s games, as w e l l as t h e i r i n t e n t i o n s o f dancing with the g i r l s * Others expressed doubt as to the d e s i r a b i l i t y of such a v i s i t ; maybe, the U.B.C. students were j u s t c u r i o u s to see what an ''inmate" looked l i k e . T h e i r s p e c u l a t i o n s were i n t e r r u p t e d - 110 -when one boy announced: "They're here!" Some boys went i n t o the bathroom f o r a f i n a l l o o k i n the m i r r o r : some went i n t o t h e i r c e l l s and l a y on t h e i r beds. F i v e men and f i v e women students a r r i v e d i n the u n i t . The boy who had assumed the r o l e of planner, now became the h o s t . Students were i n v i t e d to take p a r t i n a game, or they i n v i t e d a boy to a game. Some j u s t t a l k e d to boys and were shown o b j e c t s of hobby work such as leatherwork, copper-t o o l i n g , or woodcraft. G r a d u a l l y , as the evening progressed, a number of boys asked the women f o r a dance. Some boys d i d not venture out of t h e i r c e l l s during the whole of the two hours th a t the students spent i n the u n i t . Before the students l e f t , cocoa and cake was served, and once again the i n i t i a t i v e i n s e r v i n g the guests was taken by the group h o s t . A f t e r the students l e f t , there seemed to be a g r e a t d e a l of r e l i e f on the p a r t o f some boys. Others t a l k e d about the g i r l s t h a t had been i n the u n i t . The m a j o r i t y o f the boys wanted to know when the students would r e t u r n f o r another v i s i t . In. a s t a f f meeting, f o l l o w i n g the f i r s t v i s i t , the c o u n s e l l o r s expressed the o p i n i o n t h a t such a v i s i t appeared good f o r some boys; f o r o t h e r s , they seemed l o s t and j u s t d i d n ' t know what to do. The dancing t h a t had taken p l a c e i n a number o f u n i t s r e v e a l e d t h a t many boys d i d n ' t know how to dance. F o l l o w i n g the f i r s t v i s i t by students from U.B.C, a number of such v i s i t s were undertaken, which f o l l o w e d a s i m i l a r p a t t e r n to the v i s i t j u s t mentioned. A f t e r d i s c u s s i o n s with the l e c t u r e r i n Criminology at U.B.C, a s e r i e s : o f weekly v i s i t s were inaugurated as an i n t e g r a l p a r t o f the Criminology course, and f i e l d v i s i t s continued over a p e r i o d of three months. Meetings between s t a f f members and students were h e l d , and much more thorough p l a n n i n g r e s u l t e d . For example,. these j o i n t p l a n n i n g s e s s i o n s p o i n t e d out the need f o r v i s i t i n g student groups to come prepared to i n i t i a t e some a c t i v i t y when t h i s seemed necessary. The student group c o u l d t h e r e f o r e - I l l -function as resource persons; in this way, students took the lead in starting sing-songs, square dances, and various games. A number of students brought in their own hobby projects, such as photo albums, stamp collections, and record albums. The student v i s i t s , planned as a university f i e l d trip, undoubtedly made i t much easier for women to move into the unit groups. As counsellors; both staff and boys had gotten used to the idea of women, as a part of programme. Weekly vis i t s by students were continued for a total of three months. At each v i s i t , a l l formed into small groups, with each group going, into one of the units. However, the f i n a l v i s i t was planned differently, and many of i t s aspects reflected a more normal community setting. The gym and library were set out as places for activities. This would make i t possible to dance in the gym, and in the library, a number of games were •;• available such as, table tennis, cards, checkers, etc. After the students arrived, a representative from each group who had been going to the units during the weekly v i s i t s , proceeded to the unit, and accompanied the boys to the gym or library. Here, the total Y.O.U. population were free to wander from one area to. the other, and take part in whatever activity they «• chose. Refreshments, such as sandwiches, cakes, celery, pickles, etc. were brought in by the students; ice cream, soft drinks, and coffee were provided by the Y.O.U.,-and a l l food was served buffet style. * * . It was pointed out earlier, that during the f i r s t v i s i t made by the students, a large number of boys did not know how to dance. We decided to do something about this. Miss Joe Spieer, a social worker, was contacted, and she, along with six other women workers, came out to the Y.O.U. to discuss dancing lessons. We were not sure how to go about the teaching of - 112 -b a s i c dance s t e p s , but, because boys would probably be shy, i t was agreed t h a t the group should be kept s m a l l . A t o t a l of t e n boys was agreed on as a maximum number. The c o u n s e l l o r s were informed o f our p l a n s , and a l i s t o f a l l boys who were i n t e r e s t e d i n t a k i n g dancing l e s s o n s was made up from, a l l s i x u n i t s . Three major areas were to be covered! the waltz, f o x t r o t , and " j i v e " , and l a t i n dance r o u t i n e s . Qut o f a t o t a l of s e v e n t y - e i g h t boys, t h i r t y boys put t h e i r names on the l i s t . There was a great d e a l of bragging about how much dancing some boys were going to do. T h i s was p a r t i c u l a r l y n o t i c e a b l e from the more aggressive boys i n the u n i t s . Gf the t h i r t y boys who had put t h e i r names on the l i s t , twelve boys decided to come down to the l i b r a r y to take p a r t i n t h i s a c t i v i t y . A r e c o r d p l a y e r p r o v i d e d the a p p r o p r i a t e music f o r the three b a s i c s t e p s . Some boys went ahead and asked the women to dance; but, o n l y a few boys who had been most v o c a l , about how much dancing they.were going to :do,.came down to the l i b r a r y . Most of-these boys, d e s p i t e some encouragement from the women, r e f u s e d to dance. They j u s t sat. and c r i t i c i z e d the few who got up and danced. The more p a s s i v e boys, appeared most genu i n e l y i n t e r e s t e d i n l e a r n i n g how to dance. The s e s s i o n l a s t e d about two hours, and as the a c t i v i t y progressed, i t became j u s t a dance, with only a few p a r t i c i p a t i n g . F o l l o w i n g t h i s f i r s t contact with boys who presumably wanted to l e a r n to dance, an e v a l u a t i o n s e s s i o n was h e l d . I t was obvious t h a t only a few wanted to l e a r n . Some boys knew something about dancing, and tended to monopolize the women; while o t h e r s , were o b v i o u s l y f e a r f u l . The need to focus on dancing l e s s o n s , as such, was i n d i c a t e d , as i t appeared t h a t i t was only a.matter of time before only those who c o u l d dance would appear at a l l . • * , , A p l a n f o r t e a c h i n g was suggested by one of the women, which - 113 -proved very s u c c e s s f u l * A p a r t i c u l a r dance r o u t i n e would be chosen, f o r example, the waltz; boys would l i n e . u p behind the women, one woman to each boy. The waltz step would be demonstrated by each woman, with a boy f o l l o w i n g h e r . Once the group had gone the l e n g t h of the room, each boy would p r a c t i c e with h i s p a r t n e r on the r e t u r n . Each b a s i c dance r o u t i n e c o u l d , i n t h i s way, be repeated as o f t e n as proved necessary, and so on, to cover the waltz, the f o x t r o t , " j i v e " , and l a t i n dance r o u t i n e s . T h i s method proved to be very e f f e c t i v e . At the f i r s t s e s s i o n h e l d , there had not been i n c o r p o r a t e d i n t o the r o u t i n e , an e f f e c t i v e way of d e a l i n g with a number o f mannerisms of c e r t a i n boys when dancing; f o r example, the way to h o l d a woman when dancing; how to ask a woman f o r a dance, and so on. With the method.just d e s c r i b e d , a l l of these aspects of dancing, which have so much to do with a t t i t u d e s , c o u l d now be d e a l t w i t h . Dancing l e s s o n s now continued over a s i x week p e r i o d , and a t o t a l of f o r t y d i f f e r e n t boys were g i v e n dance i n s t r u c t i o n . A l l teenagers need o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r developing r e l a t i o n s h i p s with members of the opposite sex, and the most important a c t i v i t y t h a t f a c i l i t a t e s such r e l a t i o n s h i p i s dancing. In. the Y.O.U. the great m a j o r i t y of boys d i d n ' t know how to dance, and the o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h a t were provided, though very l i m i t e d , suggested a much g r e a t e r development i n t h i s area of programme, i s n ecessary. Furthermore, many boys have unresolved c o n f l i c t s with t h e i r own mothers, and o p p o r t u n i t i e s to help them with such c o n f l i c t s , can only be p r o v i d e d through the i n c l u s i o n of women i n programme.- While the Y.O.U. d i d , f o r a p e r i o d of time,\have women c o u n s e l l o r s with the u n i t groups; the more i n f o r m a l a c t i v i t i e s , when the student group v i s i t e d the u n i t , p r o v i d e d an important c o n t r a s t . The women i n t h i s group, were from the o u t s i d e ; - 114 -t h e r e f o r e , they were not a u t h o r i t y f i g u r e s . Some boys eage r l y engaged the women of the student group i n c o n v e r s a t i o n , while others looked on from a d i s t a n c e , p o s s i b l y wondering i f i t was !'safe" to do so. Such r e l a t i v e l y i n f o r m a l a c t i v i t i e s p r o v i d e e x c e l l e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s to get to know women. A c o n s i d e r a b l y expanded number of women working i n c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s , such as the Y.O.U., i s v i t a l l y n e cessary. The r e s i s t a n c e to the use of women i n such a s e t t i n g , however, i s c o n s i d e r a b l e . S t a f f can p r o v i d e . r e s i s t a n c e , as w e l l as the boys. The a t t i t u d e s of some boys i n an i n f o r m a l survey t h a t was made, d i s c l o s e d a v a r i e t y of opinions concerning women working at the Y.O.U. Some boys b e l i e v e d i t was okay; but, they were s u r p r i s e d to f i n d women i n a j a i l . Some f e l t t h a t i t wasn't a good i d e a , t h a t i t made them do s " h a r d time' 1; i t reminded them of t h e i r mothers, or t h e i r g i r l f r i e n d s . Others i d e n t i f i e d c e r t a i n r o l e s as okay f o r women, such as nurses, s c h o o l t e a c h e r s , or cooks. In some cases, more d e t a i l e d i n f o r m a t i o n from boys was p o s s i b l e . Some boys f e l t they could speak f o r a l l boys, and s a i d t h a t when women are around they had a g r e a t e r d e s i r e to be a gentleman, and not swear; a l s o , they were more c a r e f u l of t h e i r appearance. Some boys b e l i e v e d t h a t there were some t h i n g s you would t a l k to a woman about, such as p e r s o n a l matters having to do with f a m i l y , or g i r l f r i e n d , and " p e r s o n a l problems". These same boys f e l t they would t a l k to men about.jobs, and work and.the l i k e . - There . i s evidence here of boys a s s o c i a t i n g a woman worker (mother), as one who understands, and who you can go to f o r a d v i c e , while male worker ( f a t h e r ) g i v e s you p r a c t i c a l advice on jobs, work, and the l i k e . The f o l l o w i n g e x c e r p t s , from process re c o r d s w r i t t e n by women who worked with u n i t groups at the Y.O.U., gi v e some i n d i c a t i o n of the areas o f p o s s i b l e h e l p to boys. Soon a f t e r one woman c o u n s e l l o r was assigned to work - 115 -i n a u n i t , she commented t h a t : Joseph was very n e g a t i v e when c o u n s e l l o r informed the group she would be the r e g u l a r c o u n s e l l o r i n the u n i t . He became l e s s h o s t i l e when we t a l k e d about i t f u r t h e r ; however, with r a t h e r d i r e f o r e b o d i n g , he s a i d : I t changes a u n i t when a woman i s on, and g r a v e l y shook h i s head. F o l l o w i n g t h i s , Joseph requested a move to another u n i t . He would not d i s c u s s h i s reasons f o r making the requ e s t , except to say he d i d n ' t l i k e women. H is request to move was granted. A number of boys were able to d i s c u s s t h e i r reasons why they d i d n ' t l i k e to have a woman c o u n s e l l o r i n t h e i r u n i t . Such d i s c u s s i o n s can provide o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r h e l p i n g boys. A f t e r a l o n g c o n v e r s a t i o n with Harry concerning h i s a t t i t u d e towards women, he was unable to go any f u r t h e r than to say tha t he was always In t r o u b l e at Brannon Lake, and he f e l t t h a t t h i s was caused by women. L a r r y , i n our d i s c u s s i o n on women c o u n s e l l o r s t o n i g h t , s a i d he f e l t a l l women were cunning, scheming, and out to get a man's money. Subsequent r e c o r d s by women c o u n s e l l o r ' s , r e p o r t other areas of concern on the p a r t o f some boys i n u n i t groups. A number o f boys t o n i g h t i n our d i s c u s s i o n , were very eager to l e a r n the f u n c t i o n of women c o u n s e l l o r s a t the Y.O.U. Many boys f e l t i t was okay to have o l d e r women i n the u n i t , but not younger women. T h i s , i t was b e l i e v e d , would be "too tempting" f o r them, and i t would make them do "rough time". They a l s o . s a i d t h a t women c o u n s e l l o r s should not walk up to the main gym with a u n i t group because " f e l l o w s i n O a k a l l a laugh at us". Some boys form a strong r e l a t i o n s h i p with women, and become upset i f they b e l i e v e a woman c o u n s e l l o r ' s placement i n a group may only be temporary. P e t e r was q u i t e upset while c o u n s e l l o r was i n the k i t c h e n t o n i g h t and Mr. K. r e l i e v e d i n the u n i t . When she ret u r n e d he wanted to know why t h a t man was here? Are you going to be out of t h i s u n i t ? C o u n s e l l o r e x p l a i n e d t h a t she was not being moved out; she had j u s t been doing the u s u a l t o u r of duty i n the k i t c h e n . I n c r e a s i n g l y as a u n i t grants acceptance to a woman c o u n s e l l o r , one o f the most important r o l e ' s she p l a y s i s i n g i v i n g help to boys i n - 116 -t h e i r psycho-sexual development. Tonight about h a l f the group were seated with the worker at one end of the u n i t , and the d i s c u s s i o n ranged over a wide f i e l d , and i n c l u d e d l o v e , marriage, having c h i l d r e n , as w e l l as mastur-b a t i o n , and homosexuality. They found i t v e r y d i f f i c u l t to express themselves at times, and needed a g r e a t d e a l of support. Most of the boys were concerned about how d i f f i c u l t i t would be to f i n d a decent g i r l because of t h e i r p a s t . The worker s a i d i t would be d i f f i c u l t , and th a t they would have to prove themselves. She t o l d them t h a t the important t h i n g was what they d i d with t h e i r l i v e s from now on; t h a t t h e i r d i f f i c u l t i e s and past e x p e r i -ence, c o u l d , i f they l e a r n e d from them, make them b e t t e r , more worthwhile persons than they might otherwise have been. G a r l asked i f I would l e t my daughter go out with them. I r e p l i e d t h a t i t would depend on how they behaved, and i f they t r e a t e d my daughter with the c o n s i d e r a t i o n I'd expect of any man. The d i s c u s s i o n f o l l o w e d t h i s p a t t e r n with the boys t e l l i n g the worker how times have changed s i n c e she was a teenager. CHAPTER VI CONTRIBUTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES Throughout t h i s study, the focus has been on the s o c i a l r e l a t i o n -ship of the youthful offender. The gang, which i s important to a l l adoles-cents, i s of s p e c i a l importance to adolescents because they f e e l insecure and who are deprived i n many ways. The gang, by p r o v i d i n g group s o l i d a r i t y , to i t s members, b o l s t e r s t h e i r egos and gives them a measure of s e c u r i t y . Gang a s s o c i a t i o n s , which r e s u l t i n a n t i - s o c i a l behaviour, i s o l a t e members of the gang from s o c i e t y . In t h i s way, deprived members are further de-pr i v e d , and the r e s u l t s show up i n poor school performance, lack of vocational goals, poor work performance, d i f f i c u l t i e s with the lav/, ar r e s t and probation, . pri s o n sentences. ' What c o n t r i b u t i o n can group work make to a l l these b u i l t - i n handicaps? C l e a r l y i t cannot hope to meet a l l the needs of deprived youngsters. Never-th e l e s s , the adolescent youth, once he i s i n an i n s t i t u t i o n , seeks out associa-tions with others, somehow. I t i s the task of the group v/orker to understand the dynamics of such a s s o c i a t i o n s , and through the a p p l i c a t i o n of appropriate methods, to e f f e c t the purposeful s t r u c t u r i n g of small groups so that "warmth begins to flow instead of hatred"."'' Working d i r e c t l y v/ith small groupings, a v/orker i s s t r a t e g i c a l l y placed to play a number of h e l p f u l r o l e s . I h i s may involve help i n l e a r n i n g to l i v e and share with others; or, help i n gaining a greater f e e l i n g of adequacy through p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n a c t i v i t i e s of various kinds. Fears, resentments,,and h o s t i l i t i e s are v e n t i l a t e d i n the group l i v i n g environment. Furthermore,' boys not only experience the support of the v/orker 1 Knopka, G., Group Work i n the I n s t i t u t i o n , Whiteside, Inc., and William Morrow & Company, New York, 1954; p. 288. - 118 -d i r e c t l y , but experience the worker's support of other boys as w e l l . In t h i s way, a number of areas are made a v a i l a b l e to the i n d i v i d u a l , which helps him i n modifying h i s behaviour. A s the needs of members are revealed he can help the youthful offender to use a v a i l a b l e i n s t i t u t i o n a l resources. In t h i s process, the youthful offender i d e n t i f i e s with a worker; and the worker helps the youth to move to c o n s t r u c t i v e " s o c i a l i z a t i o n " — to being someone who f e e l s he has a place and a part i n the community, rather than being i s o l a t e d from i t . This i s a very d i f f i c u l t task f o r the youthful offender. On the other hand, i n .helping him, a worker performs one of the most d i f f i c u l t service any s o c i a l worker has to undertake. A c o r r e c t i o n a l worker must deal d i r e c t l y with a l l aspects of the youth's former l i f e i n the community,, his present l i f e at the i n s t i t u t i o n , and his l i f e i n the future when he i s released. The pressure on the worker to provide "the answers" can be very great; yet he knows that the answers must come u l t i -mately from the boy himself, whatever help the worker and others can give him. The worker needs a great amount of understanding so that some of the pent-up b i t t e r n e s s , f e a r s , and h o s t i l i t i e s are expressed; a l s o , so that accusations and d i s t o r t i o n s have a chance to be seen against a growing aware-ness of r e a l i t y . Generally, the b i t t e r n e s s , fears and h o s t i l i t i e s , and the accusa-tions and d i s t o r t i o n s of the youthful offender are projected on to four main areas: ( l ) The t o t a l environment. (2). The unit group. (3) The s t a f f . (4) Society. A few t y p i c a l a t t i t u d e s w i l l explain these f u r t h e r . Don says that he can't stand being locked i n h i s c e l l at night; that sometimes, he " f e e l s l i k e he w i l l choke". He says that the bars and locks bothered him f o r a long time: "No .matter how you look at i t , t h i s place i s j u s t a j a i l ; look at a l l the concrete and s t e e l . " - 119 -Ted d i s l i k e s h i s counsellor. "He's always h o l l e r i n g at me, and expects me to jump when he t e l l s me to do something." Ted f e e l s that, some days, you can joke and " k i d " with the counsellor; but, other days, he acts l i k e a policeman. " I never know where I stand v/ith him." Peter finds i t extremely d i f f i c u l t to spend s i x hours or so with a group of other boys i n a u n i t . "Why do I have to do another guy's time? When I'm on the s t r e e t , I don't have to take a vote i f I want to do some-thing; I j u s t go ahead and do i t . " "You expect me to r e h a b i l i t a t e myself? How can I , when I have to l i v e with a bunch of bugs?" Jack says he has no place to go when he i s released. " I wouldn't l i v e at home, even i f the o l d man asked me - and he won't." " I never want to see the o l d man.or the o l d lady again. They didn't even bother to come to my t r i a l . " "I've been with the welfare f o r three years; but I haven't seen my worker since I've been here. How do they expect me to go s t r a i g h t i f they don't care what happens to me?" ^his p a r t i c u l a r boy i s also con-cerned about f i n d i n g work. He has developed some useful s k i l l s i n motor mechanics; but, he i s at a l o s s to know how to put th i s s k i l l to use. "No-body wants to h i r e a ' j a i l b i r d ' . I f I don't get a job, and I have nothing to do, I ' l l j u s t d r i f t back to the old gang again; maybe, the best thing to do i s to go up-country and l i v e by myself, somehow." A counsellor working with a u n i t group cannot avoid encountering these a t t i t u d e s and rea c t i o n s . How e f f e c t i v e can group work services be. under such circumstances? In p a r t i c u l a r , what i s the proper conclusion to be drawn about the Y.O.U., where these were experimented v/ith f o r eight years? What might be done to make such a service more generally a v a i l a b l e and more e f f e c t i v e ? sr- 120 -The Setting Dr. P.A.H. Baan, f o r e n s i c p s y c h i a t r i s t from Utrecht, Holland, speaking at the Canadian Congress of Corrections i n Vancouver at the end of May, 1959, was emphatic i n p o i n t i n g out that r e c i d i v a t i n g c r i m i n a l s are not normal persons. In Holland, accordingly, the term "diminished respon-2 s i b i l i t y " i s applied to t h i s group of offenders. Dr. Baan reminded his audience that, "due to good parents, good environmental circumstances, good s o c i a l circumstances", i t was "normal people" who were seated i n t h i s audi-torium l i s t e n i n g to him. However, "there i s the c r i m i n a l " , s a i d Dr. Baan, and he asked: Should we c l u t c h them? I think the basis of our culture i s a C h r i s t i a n basis. • Other r e l i g i o n s also have as t h e i r basis that you should not c l u t c h ; that you should open your arms to meet these people v/ho are on the other s i d e , not b y - c l u t c h i n g , grasping, s e i z i n g , catching, but by having them i n a community, i n a kind of psychotherapeutic community. I don't believe we need a p r i s o n . 3 The majority of boys at the Y.O.U. would c e r t a i n l y approximate a state of "diminished r e s p o n s i b i l i t y " or, l i m i t e d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . The major-i t y of boys at the Y.O.U. have been r e c i d i v i s t s f o r a' number of years. The aggressive boy, furthermore, f e e l s he couldn't avoid doing what he did; he blames others f o r h i s d i f f i c u l t i e s . The more passive boy f e e l s that he i s the v i c t i m of others, u s u a l l y the more aggressive boys; they were respon-s i b l e ; he didn't know what was going on. In between these two extremes, there were a few boys at Y.O.U. who could be considered "normal". They had a very d i f f e r e n t a t t i t u d e . They f e l t they had done "wrong", and they quite 2 This term i s applied to a group of offenders v/ho commit acts impul-s i v e l y , rather than knowing what i s r i g h t and wrong. 3 Baan, P.A.H., "What King of Prisons Do We Need?" An unpublished paper given at the Canadian Congress of Corrections, May, 1959, Vancouver, B. C. - 121 -emphatically stated: "never again", ^or t h i s group of "normal" offenders Dr. Baan recommended that: Normal people don't need prisons. They are punished enough by the detection.- A v/arning s u f f i c e s many; a c o n d i t i o n a l sentence i s s u f f i c i e n t f o r others. 4 The Y.O.U. s e t t i n g v/ith c e l l s , bars, and concrete walls suggests t h i s " c l u t c h i n g " , "grabbing", and " s e i z i n g " aspect that Dr. Baan talked about. Furthermore, the youth i s i s o l a t e d from the community i n such a s e t t i n g ; h i s i s o l a t i o n i s even more complete from the presence of armed guards i n the immediate area of Oakalla. This, i n e f f e c t , helps to maintain the v/idespread a t t i t u d e of society that the youthful offender should be kept "out of s i g h t , and out of mind". This a t t i t u d e , and the e f f e c t on youths c o n s t i t u t e s , i n the wri t e r ' s ovpinion, an almost insurmountable b a r r i e r to an e f f e c t i v e r e h a b i l i -t a t i o n programme, no matter how s k i l l f u l l y conceived i t might be. A d i f f e r e n t kind of s e t t i n g i s needed to what i s i n existence at the present time, and i t must be a small s e t t i n g . In any case the lessons of Y.O.U. brought out here are apparently not yet taken to heart. In October of 1959, the Y.O.U. was closed, and the Department of Corrections decided that a l l of the boys at Y.O.U. could be sent to Haney. Following t h i s d e c i s i o n , the 69 youths at the Y.O.U. were seen by Central C l a s s i f i c a t i o n at Oakalla, and 35 boys were c l a s s i f i e d as " s u i t a b l e f o r t r a i n i n g " at Haney. The remain-i n g 34 boys had to be absorbed i n the general Oakalla population. Is t h i s as workable or appropriate as i t sounds? Four months f o l l o w i n g t h e i r place-ment at Haney, f i v e boys have been returned to Oakalla, and the reasons given 4 Baan, P.A.H. i b i d . - 122 -include the f o l l o w i n g : " P o s s i b l e homosexuality - at l e a s t a l l problems associated." "Is an outcast, .ideas on sex abnormal, comes under attack from other inmates, and therefore cannot p a r t i c i p a t e i n programme." "Fights with others and has negative i n f l u e n c e - no conscience." "Beyond the scope of programme, h o s t i l e and negative i n f l u e n c e . " "Fights with others; no d r i v e , negative a t t i t u d e and i n f l u e n c e . " I t i s not s u r p r i s i n g that these boys would have to be returned; because, i n the t y p i c a l l y large i n s t i t u t i o n , the problems presented by such i n d i v i d u a l s do not come to a person-to-person contact i n a group s i t u a t i o n , which would re v e a l the s p e c i f i c nature of the int e r - p e r s o n a l problem. What i s needed, i s a much more open s e t t i n g ; b u i l t of materials that do not convey the i s o l a t i n g f a c t o r s associated with s t e e l and concrete, and which makes p o s s i b l e the use of groupings f o r therapeutic purposes.- Such an i n s t i t u t i o n should not be constructed f a r from centres of population. This not only makes i t d i f f i c u l t to r e c r u i t s t a f f persons; as a natura l consequence, i t perpetuates t h i s "out of s i g h t , out of mind" mentality. Youthful offenders grow up i n the community, become "problems" i n the community, and must even-t u a l l y return to the community; part of the s o l u t i o n involves as close a con-ta c t with the community as p o s s i b l e . I t was the v e r d i c t of experience at the Y.O.U., however, that many boys need to be protected from t h e i r own impulses to escape. This i s p a r t i c u l a r l y true during the i n i t i a l stages i n the rehab-i l i t a t i v e process, as well as at c e r t a i n periods of str e s s i n i n t e r p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s that a boy may be experiencing from w i t h i n , and without the Y.O.U.^ 5 For a more d e t a i l e d account of such f a c t o r s , see: Loving, W.S.; Stock-w e l l , F.E.; Dobbins, D.A., "Factors Associated with Escape Behaviour of Prison Inmates," Federal Probation, September 1959, pp. 49-51. - 123 -I t would be necessary, therefore, to provide f o r greater s e c u r i t y i n a section of an i n s t i t u t i o n f o r youthful offenders; but, t h i s can be achieved to a considerable degree by close supervision of s t a f f . The degree of "open-ness" i n any c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n a l depends, to a large extent, on the p u b l i c ' s w i l l i n g n e s s to support such a venture. However, from what we know of the y o u t h f u l offender's needs, the p r o t e c t i o n of boys, from an impulse to run away, should come from s t a f f — human resources; rather than from i r o n bars and concrete — m a t e r i a l resources. I t i s from human beings that boys must eventually l e a r n to accept l i m i t a t i o n s . S t a f f i The Y.O.U., from i t s beginning had a great deal of d i f f i c u l t y i n r e c r u i t i n g trained s t a f f . This i s a problem shared by a l l correctiona.1 i n s t i -t u t i o n s . For a long time, public and government i n d i f f e r e n c e towards the youthful offender, has r e s u l t e d i n lov; s a l a r i e s and u n a t t r a c t i v e working con-d i t i o n s f o r s t a f f ; as a consequence a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n i s i n a very unfavourable p o s i t i o n i n attempting to r e c r u i t a share of the s o c i a l workers a v a i l a b l e , who are always i n great demand. Departments of c o r r e c t i o n s , who have often f a i l e d to provide dynamic leadership i n s o l v i n g the problem of a shortage of trained s t a f f , must bear a good part of the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r the s i t u a t i o n that has e x i s t e d , and s t i l l e x i s t s . The p r o f e s s i o n of s o c i a l work must also bear part of t h i s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , f o r i t has, to a large extent, ignored the f i e l d of c o r r e c t i o n s . A number of w r i t e r s ^ have pointed to the misunderstandings over what the s o c i a l worker ought to do i n c o r r e c t i o n s ; whether s o c i a l work can be p r a c t i c e d i n an "authority s e t t i n g " ; accusations 6 See Studt, S., "The Contribution of C o r r e c t i o n a l P r a c t i c e to S o c i a l Work Theory and Education", S o c i a l Casework, June 1956. A l s o , Johnson, K.D., "The Role of S o c i a l Work Education i n Preparing Personnel f o r the Corrections F i e l d " , Federal Probation, Sept. 1958, pp. 54-58. - 124 -on the part of employers that diagnostic and treatment procedures, suggested by s o c i a l workers, were " i d e a l i s t i c " , "mollycoddling", and would r e s u l t i n "chaos" i f put i n t o p r a c t i c e . Such misunderstandings have not always e x i s t e d . For example, E l l i o t Studt's comments concerning t h i s problem i n the U.S. are p e r t i n e n t . I t i s important to remember that t h i s sense of d i f f e r e n c e and c o n f l i c t between s o c i a l work and corrections i n the United States d i d not begin to be expressed i n w r i t i n g u n t i l the 1920's. Up u n t i l that time corrections were considered a part of the main stream of s o c i a l work. 7 Studt goes on to state that " p r i s o n reform and c o r r e c t i o n a l casework 8 found a major, place i n the c u r r i c u l a of the f i r s t school of s o c i a l work." Recently, there has been a renev/ed i n t e r e s t i n the f i e l d of corrections by schools of s o c i a l work and s o c i a l workers a l i k e . One w r i t e r states that: Corrections must be restored to s o c i a l v/ork, both because i t i s an important aspect of the p r o f e s s i o n s 1 s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , which has been ignored i n recent years, and because i t can be a source of considerable strength to s o c i a l work. 9 In " r e s t o r i n g c o r r e c t i o n s to s o c i a l work", one of the fundamental problems f a c i n g workers i s how to integrate a s e r v i c e , whether casework or group work, so that i s e f f e c t i v e . In the-majority of i n s t i t u t i o n s , s o c i a l work remains i s o l a t e d from the whole; with the r e s u l t , that an ever widening s p l i t develops between the treatment f u n c t i o n of a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n , which are i n process of development, and the c u s t o d i a l functions of the i n s t i t u t i o n , which are i t s t r a d i t i o n a l f u nctions. How d i d the Y.O.U. avoid such a s i t u a t i o n ? 7 Studt, E., "'Casework i n the C o r r e c t i o n a l F i e l d " , Federal Probation, September, 1954, p. 20. 8 Studt, E., i b i d . p. 20 9 Johnson, K.D., "The Role of S o c i a l Work Education in- Preparing Personnel f o r the Corrections F i e l d " , Federal Probation, September 1956, p. 55. - 125 -The Y.O.U. developed under the d i r e c t i o n and supervision of a Warden who i s a p r o f e s s i o n a l s o c i a l worker. In order to e f f e c t the i n t e -g r a t i o n of treatment and c u s t o d i a l functions, the administrations of the Y.O.U. v/as set up on a dual basis. That i s , the adm i n i s t r a t i o n of the Y.O.U. v/as shared by a s t a f f member trained i n s o c i a l work and a s t a f f member whose background was c u s t o d i a l . The s t a f f member trained i n s o c i a l work v/as designated as the senior member who could overrule the cu s t o d i a l s t a f f member; but, i n actual p r a c t i c e , disagreements over p o l i c y were referred to the Warden f o r f i n a l d e c i s i o n . A s i m i l a r dual administration was set up f o r the group-based programme. The worker i n charge of t h i s programme had a c u s t o d i a l counterpart, and both s t a f f members concerned themselves with the operation of the group-based programme. As i n the top ad m i n i s t r a t i o n at Y.O.U., the worker i n charge of group-based programme v/as designated as the senior person; v/hile he could overrule h is c u s t o d i a l counterpart, i n actual p r a c t i c e , d i s -agreements were r e f e r r e d to the Y.O.U. a.dministra.tion f o r f i n a l d e c i s i o n . With such a dual administrative organization, the d i f f i c u l t problems that a r i s e i n the day to day operation of the i n s t i t u t i o n , the establishment of p o l i c y , etc., i n c r e a s i n g l y r e f l e c t both s o c i a l work and c u s t o d i a l t h i n k i n g , because they are j o i n t p o l i c y d e c i s i o n s . This i s sound group work p r a c t i c e , since i t recognizes that the best chance of r e s o l v i n g problems i s by being d i r e c t l y involved. This i s i n contrast to what often occurs i n a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n , where s o c i a l workers make suggestions, and propose c e r t a i n changes, v/ithout having the a u t h o r i t y to put these suggestions and proposals i n t o p r a c t i c e , or f o r that matter, having to bear some of the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i f things go wrong. .Mistakes are made, and some can be serious mistakes, which r e s u l t i n escapes. The study e a r l i e r mentioned an escape which v/as - 126 -made by four boys, as a r e s u l t of an error i n judgment on the part of the workers at the Y.O.U. However, due to the.support given by the administration at Oakalla, such a mistake r e s u l t e d i n gaining experience, rather than a mistake that could have ended a group work experiment. Following.such mis-takes, c u s t o d i a l orientated groups of s t a f f members and socia.l v/ork oriented groups, can behave i n a manner which i s l a r g e l y defensive, as each group attempts to b o l s t e r i t s own loss of p r e s t i g e . The group v/orker i s i n a s t r a t e g i c p o s i t i o n to help, i f he recognizes t h a t - a l l groups w i l l t e s t , w i l l then give l i m i t e d acceptance, and f i n a l l y , that h e l p f u l r o l e s v / i l l emerge. The point being, however, that t h i s process takes time and cannot be rushed. V/hile the i n t e g r a t i o n of s o c i a l v/ork and c u s t o d i a l functions were i n the process of being v/orked through at the adm i n i s t r a t i v e l e v e l , coun-s e l l o r s i n the uni t s were s t r u g g l i n g with a s i m i l a r problem of t e s t i n g by t h e i r group, gaining the acceptance of t h e i r groups, and s o r t i n g out t h e i r r o l e s . In t h i s most d i f f i c u l t task, counsellors need group v/ork s k i l l s . Before the lim i t e d , amount of t r a i n i n g that was possible took e f f e c t , some counsellors q u i t ; others were helped to leave the Y.O.U. because they v/ere not s u i t e d to the work. Many mistakes were made. For example, the worker i n charge of the group-based programme, often f a i l e d to appreciate the d i f -f i c u l t i e s i n some u n i t groups; counsellors v/ere placed i n groups without s u f f i c i e n t t r a i n i n g . While the o r i g i n a l job d e s c r i p t i o n f o r counsellors, s p e c i f i e d that t r a i n i n g i n s o c i a l work was a basic requirement, t h i s had to be modified due to.the i n a b i l i t y to r e c r u i t such s t a f f members. Counsellors were r e c r u i t e d who had at l e a s t high school graduation, who had some experience i n working — 127 -with groups i n the community, and who were i n t e r e s t e d i n taking further t r a i n i n g . " ^ Since the group-based programme operated from 3 to 11 p.m., a number of s t a f f members took advantage of t h e i r time-off during the morn-i n g and early afternoon to attend courses i n the School of S o c i a l V/ork. Such s t a f f members proved valuable i n h e l p i n g to t r a i n other s t a f f members. Their growing experience and knowledge made i t possible, to place new members of s t a f f i n unit groups with them, and thus give new s t a f f members a period of on-the-job. o r i e n t a t i o n . F ollowing t h i s period of o r i e n t a t i o n , i n d i v i d u a l s t a f f conferences, using group process records, and r e g u l a r . s t a f f meetings, provided the basis f o r f u r t h e r t r a i n i n g i n group v/ork. Ca r e f u l placement of a counsellor i n a u n i t , which would not present d i f f i c u l t i e s beyond the c a p a b i l i t i e s of the counsellor, i s sound i n theory; but, i n p r a c t i c e , i t i s almost impossible to achieve. A n s i x u n i t s were i n f a c t very d i f f i c u l t . One degree of d i f f i c u l t y a c t u a l l y had much to do v/ith the s k i l l of the counsellor and how he perceived " d i f f i c u l t i e s " , and v/hat he d i d about them. Process records wr i t t e n by counsellors i n d i c a t e that group v/ork s k i l l s are necessary i f a measure of acceptance from a u n i t group i s to be achieved; i f a c o u n s e l l o r " i s to proceed f u r t h e r , so that h e l p f u l , therapeutic roles emerge, then group v/ork s k i l l s are e s s e n t i a l . They can, of course, be taught i n part by d i r e c t supervision of counsellors by a group worker i n i n d i v i d u a l confer-ences and at s t a f f meetings, and by l e a r n i n g on-the-job through placement of new s t a f f with experienced s t a f f . A more thorough-going system of r e c r u i t i n g and t r a i n i n g s t a f f v/as necessary at the Y.O.U. while f i e l d t r i p s by student 10 See appendix A. -128 -groups i s an e x c e l l e n t method of acquainting p o t e n t i a l s t a f f v/ith c o r r e c t i o n s , any i n s t i t u t i o n needs help i n developing i n - s e r v i c e t r a i n i n g which ought to be one of the functions of a c e n t r a l corrections department. In t h i s task E l l i o t Studt has suggested the use of seminar-type discussions given by a " f a c u l t y member who i s known to be a thoroughly competent p r a c t i t i o n e r i n the f i e l d . S u c h a person could serve the needs of a number of i n s t i -t u t i o n s . This not only would a s s i s t i n e s t a b l i s h i n g a partnership between a School of S o c i a l Work and corrections i n s t i t u t i o n s ; but, s t a f f members would more e a s i l y i d e n t i f y v/ith such a person, than one who has not had d i r e c t f i e l d experience. For a long time, p u b l i c and governmental i n d i f f e r e n c e towards youthful offenders, plus poor v/orking conditions and low s a l a r i e s for c o r r e c t i o n a l workers, have hindered the recruitment of s u i t a b l e s t a f f . An awakening p u b l i c and more concern on the part of governments has recently res u l t e d i n appointing a number c f s o c i a l workers i n senior a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p o s i t i o n s i n c o r r e c t i o n s , and t h i s i s an encouraging trend. Salary scales for c o r r e c t i o n a l workers have also increased. However, much remains to be done. I t i s s t i l l the case, as E l l i o t Studt has stated, that: With a l l that i s at stake i n the treatment of young human beings, there.are o r d i n a r i l y l e s s t r a i n i n g requirements f o r those who are expected to a l t e r the conduct tendencies.of delinquents than there are f o r those who tre a t s i c k c a t t l e . 12 Accommodation and F a c i l i t i e s The boys at the Y.O.U. spent nearly s i x hours together i n a r e l a -11 Studt, E., "School Programme f o r C o r r e c t i o n a l Personnel", NPPA Journal , Vol. 2 No. 3, J u l y 1956, p. 230. 12 Studt, E., i b i d . p. 232. - 129 -t i v e l y s m a l l , area. Such long periods of time are very demanding for boy's and counsellors a l i k e . Whenever a group went outside, or went to the l i b -rary area, or gym area., they moved as a group. Part of the s o l u t i o n to t h i s , l i e s i n p r o v i d i n g a l a r g e r u n i t.area, with one or two rooms adj o i n i n g the main l i v i n g area. This would make i t p o s s i b l e f o r group members to.wander from one area to another. Judicious placement of c e r t a i n f a c i l i t i e s , i n each of these areas, could be worked out; f o r example, i n the main l i v i n g area p r o v i s i o n could be ma.de f o r l i s t e n i n g to the radio, reading or w r i t i n g , and other quiet a c t i v i t i e s . An a d j o i n i n g room could be devoted to games of various kinds, such as," table tennis, cards, checkers, darts and so on; while another room, could be devoted to hobbies and c r a f t s . The t o t a l u n i t area would, therefore, o f f e r a choice of a c t i v i t i e s , without too great an i n t e r -ference of one a c t i v i t y v/ith another; a l s o , i t v/ould avoid the cramming of a c t i v i t i e s i n t o one small area. In the absence of such an i d e a l arrangement, the Y.O.U. expe r i -mented i n ways to make i t possible f o r boys to leave t h e i r u n i t groups from time to time, i n order to pursue a c t i v i t i e s that were of i n t e r e s t to some members, regardless of the t o t a l group i n t e r e s t ; i n t h i s way, boys from a number of u n i t s came together to f o l l o w a musical i n t e r e s t , a hobby i n t e r e s t , or take part In a discussion group; gradually, three nights a week were set aside when i n t e r e s t groups met. Boys who were not i n t e r e s t e d i n any of the i n t e r e s t groups went to the gym, where a v a r i e t y gym programme was offered. This represented an expanded dimension for boys as w e l l as c o u n s e l l o r s . Under such a system, a l l counsellors had a u n i t group, and three nights a week, each counsellor took over an i n t e r e s t group. Placement of boys i n groups i s a process that needs a good deal more study. While Y.O.U. adhered to the p r i n c i p l e that allowed boys a choice - 13Q<-of u n i t , the problem can only be solved as needs of boys are revealed and . discussed, and boys are helped to make choices that are c o n s t r u c t i v e , f o r them. At the Y.O.U., we had a group of boys who v/ere w i t h i n a close age range; but, there i s a great deal of d i f f e r e n c e between an 18 year old passive boy, and one v/ho i s very aggressive. The proper balancing of such boys i n a u n i t i s important. One method that proved u s e f u l , i n t h i s s o r t i n g -out process, v/as the establishment of a reception u n i t . A l l boys received at Y.O.U. went to a reception u n i t . There, they could be observed i n an attempt to s o r t out the aggressive boy and the passive boy. Furthermore, i t gave a p a r t i c u l a r boy a chance to get to know the other u n i t groups, and helped him i n making a choice of u n i t he wanted to l i v e i n . However, some-times i t occurred, that vacancies did not m a t e r i a l i z e i n the regular u n i t s f o r quite some time, due to no release of boys from Y.O.U.v; under such a circumstance, the reception u n i t would develop a degree of "we-feeling", and boys would be r e l u c t a n t to move v/hen a vacancy occurred i n a regular u n i t . The best r e s u l t s v/ere obtained v/hen boys were placed i n a regular u n i t , from the reception u n i t , not more than three weeks f o l l o w i n g t h e i r a r r i v a l at the Y.O.U. After-Care Once a boy i s sentenced there i s a great tendency to forget him when he i s placed i n a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n . However, many boys have had considerable contacts v/ith s o c i a l v/orkers i n various agencies that have provided a casework service to the youth, and sometimes to h i s family. Be-cause he i s being looked a f t e r , so to speak, there i s very l i t t l e " follow through" by workers i n s o c i a l agencies while the youth i s i n a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n . I t i s p a r t i c u l a r l y important that a l l h e l p f u l community con-- 131 -tacts be i n i t i a t e d or maintained while the i n d i v i d u a l i s i n a c o r r e c t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n . At.the Y.O.U. an attempt v/as made to provide as much c o n t i n u i t y between probation o f f i c e r and boys as p o s s i b l e . A l l boys who v/ere to be con-sidered f o r parole v/ere interviewed by a probation o f f i c e r . Furthermore, consultations v/ere held between probation o f f i c e r and s t a f f members, concerning the progress a boy had made. I t i s i n th i s way probably, that group work servic e s can make t h e i r 1' best c o n t r i b u t i o n i n assessing a youth's readiness for r e l e a s e . Gisela Knopka has suggested f i v e main c r i t e r i a f o r t h i s important examination. What i s the deeper motivation f o r committing a crime? Some i n d i c a -t i o n of motive i s often revealed i n a u n i t group. For example, some boys, i n order to gain a greater f e e l i n g of adequacy, w i l l do favours f o r other boys . regardless of the consequences to- themselves. This p a r a l l e l s the same be-haviour i n the community where a boy goes along with others, seemingly the v i c t i m of h i s d e s i r e to belong, regardless of the r e s u l t s . What i s the motivation f o r changed behaviour? In a u n i t group, counsellors can observe some boys v/ho are l a r g e l y motivated because of fear of others. Some boys show g u i l t f o r having committed offences, others seem to display no g u i l t f e e l i n g s . Some boys d i s p l a y a growing a b i l i t y to change usual patterns of behaviour, as a r e s u l t of a grov/ing r e l a t i o n s h i p with the counsellor, other boys show l i t t l e a b i l i t y along t h i s l i n e . What i s the basic a t t i t u d e towards others? The kin d of r e l a t i o n s h i p that develops between boys and between boys and counsellor i s d i r e c t l y open 13 Knopka, G., Loc c i t . p. 256 - 258. — 132 -to observation. Attitudes of wanting to e x p l o i t others are r e a d i l y seen, as are tendencies towards submission. What i s the capacity f o r accepting reasonable l i m i t s ? Some boys i n a u n i t group can accept l i m i t a t i o n s set by a counsellor; but, there i s l i t t l e acceptance of the r i g h t s of other boys. Other boys need constant supervision, others need only l i m i t e d supervision. A growing capacity to exercise i n n e r - c o n t r o l can be observed i n the i n t e r - a c t i o n that occurs i n a group. What i s h i s a t t i t u d e towards himself? Feelings of not being worth anything, as w e l l as exaggerated f e e l i n g s of one's own a b i l i t y are often re-, vealed by boys i n a group s e t t i n g . Furthermore, gradual improvement i n a boy's a b i l i t y to accept help i n changing such a t t i t u d e s are open to d i r e c t observation by a co u n s e l l o r . Using such questions as guides, a counsellor can evaluate progress that a boy has made. Group workers would thus be able to help i n answering a basic question — i s the boy showing a growing a b i l i t y to accept help when he needs i t , and, to what extent are the old delinquent patterns of behaviour no longer s a t i s f y i n g to him? Nothing i s c l e a r e r from the experience reviewed than the import-ance of remembering that the youthful offender tends to be i s o l a t e d from the community, and of taking concrete steps to reduce t h i s sense of i s o l a t i o n . The boys who are the subject of t h i s study c o n t i n u a l l y expressed t h i s sense of i s o l a t i o n . I t often took the form of a concern about g e t t i n g a job. Some expressed fear of going out to look f o r a job; others v/ere worried that they didn't know how to go about i t . This can provide a group v/orker with the opportunity to set up s p e c i a l groups concerned with the problems of - 133 -r e l e a s e . Members of the group can p r a c t i c e actual ways of applying f o r a job, and i n other ways receive help i n preparation f o r release. Employers and labour representatives could serve as advisory committees concerned with the content of t r a i n i n g courses, and help to decide the kinds of t r a i n i n g which would be r e a l i s t i c a l l y h e l p f u l f o r boys looking f o r employment. In t e r e s t i n the youthful offender i s fostered i n t h i s way, and t h i s i n turn can help i n e s t a b l i s h i n g contacts between boys and a p o t e n t i a l employer. I n s t i t u t i o n s and Groupings Once an i n d i v i d u a l i s sentenced to an i n s t i t u t i o n i t i s i n e v i t a b l e that he enters i n t o a s s o c i a t i o n s with others. What kin d of associations? What e f f e c t do such asso c i a t i o n s have on him? Our f a i l u r e to take the p r i s o n community i n t o account has resulted i n our i n s t i t u t i o n s perpetuating the c r i m i n a l sub-culture; i n f a c t , our i n s t i t u t i o n s provide a steady stream of new r e c r u i t s . S o c i a l group work has an important c o n t r i b u t i o n to make i n our understanding of the dynamics of such groupings, and using t h i s under-standing so that groupings become cons t r u e t i v e . i n s t e a d of d e s t r u c t i v e . Furthermore, the group worker adds another dimension to the treatment team, as he makes a v a i l a b l e the i n s i g h t gained from his observation, study, and diagnosis of the i n t e r - a c t i o n process w i t h i n groups. However, to put the knowledge v/e have i n t o p r a c t i c e , we w i l l need smaller i n s t i t u t i o n s where close r e l a t i o n s h i p s are p o s s i b l e , i n the place of large i n s t i t u t i o n s where such r e l a t i o n s h i p s are impossible. The challenge i s c l e a r . Men i n p r i s o n w i l l group with others. We can ignore t h i s f a c t , and allow the c r i m i n a l sub-culture values to v/ork towards the f u r t h e r d e t e r i o r a t i o n of the i n d i v i d u a l ; or, we can accept t h i s f a c t and purposefully s t r u c t u r e , v/ork v/ith, and change the c r i m i n a l sub-culture values towards the amelioration of the i n d i v i d u a l . Only then v / i l l our i n s t i t u t i o n s be t r u l y places i n which to grow. Appendix A Job Specification of a Counsellor in a Youth Corrections Unit Under direction this employee implements the institution's group program within a unit housing 13 boys. He provides, leadership to the unit in i t s afternoon-evening activities, attempting thereby to promote the group's accept-ance of social goals and of democratic group relationships. He exercises custodial control over the unit. The youths are young offenders who display immaturity and personality difficulties by indulging in law violation and other serious forms of misbehaviour. This officer is responsible to a Senior Correctional Officer. Nature of Work: The practice of social group work in this setting differs significantly from that employed by the majority of group work agencies in the community, and therefore requires personnel who are able to adapt their knowledge and s k i l l s to the needs of offenders in a correctional setting. The youth, characteristic of this institution's population, has lacked in his home and/or community, a normally healthy association with adults who represent the social values of the larger community. He has tended either to be isolated from others or has attempted to cope with his severe social and emotional problems by identifying himself with a social or anti-social people. In consequence he attains adolescence lacking the normal social goals and values of emotionally healthy adolescents. In attempting to socialize the offender i t becomes necessary to expose him to experiences which are calculated to introduce objectives and values which are social, and these are i n i t i a l l y strange and even repugnant to him. This activity requires of the staff a more directive approach than is customary in social group work. The employee is under the necessity of initiating activity and of setting the stage for specific relationships which are designed to expose the offenders to an experience in democratic group relationships. Since this sort of group association is generally foreign to their experience the initiative must be provided in considerable measure from outside the inmate group. In place of random activity for the sake of consuming leisure time, the group is focussed toward specific objectives; Appendix A - 2 -namely, the s o c i a l r e o r i e n t a t i o n of the group as a whole and of i t s i n d i v i d u a l members. These are ends toward which the group worker i n t h i s s e t t i n g c o n s c i o u s l y helps the group to move by h i s own a c t i v e involvement i n r e l a t i o n to the t o t a l s t r u c t u r e and a c t i v i t y of the group. E s s e n t i a l l y t h i s work i s concerned with the s u b s t i t u -t i o n of p a t t e r n s of mature s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s , c o n s i s t e n t with s o c i a l goals of the community, i n the p l a c e o f previous immature, a n t i - s o c i a l p a t t e r n s of r e l a t i o n s h i p . The l e v e l of achievement a t t a i n e d by a youth i n t h i s area of h i s program can be regarded as the most s i g n i f i c a n t s i n g l e c r i t e r i o n i n e v a l u a t i n g h i s r e a d i n e s s f o r discharge and h i s general p r o g n o s i s . The employee of t h i s c l a s s works as a group worker with a group of t h i r t e e n boys f o r who'se s p e c i f i c program a c t i v i t y and s u p e r v i s i o n he i s d i r e c t l y r e s p o n s i b l e . He i n s t r u c t s h i s group i n v a r i o u s a t h l e t i c a c t i v i t i e s , games and hobbies and i n v o l v e s the e n t i r e group i n program p a r t i c i p a t i o n . He shares i n the s u p e r v i s o r y and e s c o r t d u t i e s necessary f o r the movement and o v e r s i g h t of more than one u n i t o f youths who are j o i n t l y p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n a c t i v i t i e s w i t h i n or outside o f the i n s t i t u t i o n . This o f f i c e r s u p e r v i s e s h i s u n i t ' s use of s p e c i a l i n s t i t u t i o n a l r e s ources such as the l i b r a r y and gymnasium equipment. He reads a l l l e t t e r s w r i t t e n by members of h i s u n i t f o r purposes of censorship and f o r whatever i n s i g h t the contents may y i e l d i n t o the current concerns and a t t i t u d e s of the youths. He shares i n and s u p e r v i s e s the d i s t r i b u t i o n o f meals and snacks during h i s s h i f t , encouraging i n the group, a standard o f conduct c o n s i s t e n t with mature s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p s i n the community. This o f f i c e r a c t i v e l y i n t e r v e n e s i n i s s u e s which a r i s e between members of h i s group. He a c t s not simply f o r the purpose of a c h i e v i n g acquiescence and conformity but p r i m a r i l y with a view to a s s i s t i n g the members of the group to d i s c o v e r a c o n s t r u c t i v e r e s o l u t i o n to t h e i r i s s u e s . He uses i n c i d e n t s of h o s t i l i t y and other s o c i a l behaviour as a means of f o c u s s i n g the group's t h o u g h t f u l a t t e n t i o n upon the u n d e r l y i n g dynamics of such behaviour with a view to a i d i n g the group to develop i n s i g h t and more s o c i a l v/ays of coping with p e r s o n a l and group p r e s s u r e s . He s t i m u l a t e s d i s c u s s i o n around subjects which are of p e r t i n e n c e and concern to members of the group, e s p e c i a l l y those subjects,which may provide i n c r e a s e d s e l f - u n d e r s t a n d i n g and an a p p r e c i a t i o n of the values of common s o c i a l o b j e c t i v e s and requirements i n a democratic community. As an a i d to such a process he u t i l i z e s the experience o f the group and the i n t e r a c t i o n of i t s members. Appendix A - 3 -This o f f i c e r c o n t r o l s the movement of hoys from h i s u n i t to any other p a r t of the i n s t i t u t i o n . He r e f e r s hoys f o r p e r s o n a l c o u n s e l l i n g or f o r d i s c i p l i n a r y a c t i o n when the s i t u a t i o n demands measures which are outside of the competence or the a u t h o r i t y of the o f f i c e r . He prepares r e g u l a r r e p o r t s on the a c t i v i t y of the u n i t , a s s e s s i n g the group's problems and progress and drawing a t t e n t i o n to the p a r t i c u l a r r o l e s played by i n d i v i d u a l members o f the group. He recommends changes of program and of group composition when such changes appear to o f f e r g r e a t e r o p p o r t u n i t y f o r more e f f e c t i v e program. This o f f i c e r assumes complete c u s t o d i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r h i s group throughout the s h i f t , and takes whatever precau-t i o n a r y measures are necessary to ensure the observance o f e f f e c t i v e s e c u r i t y c o n t r o l s . He performs r e l a t e d d u t i e s as r e q u i r e d . Knowledge. A b i l i t i e s and S k i l l s ! Demonstrated a b i l i t y to work e f f e c t i v e l y and harmon-i o u s l y with groups of people; s k i l l i n winning the confidence of others by p r o v i d i n g l e a d e r s h i p w i t h i n the group. Knowledge of a t h l e t i c a c t i v i t i e s s u f f i c i e n t to pro v i d e guidance to a group having no more than elementary knowledge of the a c t i v i t y . F a m i l i a r i t y with one or more l e i s u r e time hobbies and an a b i l i t y to communicate h i s knowledge simply and c l e a r l y . A working knowledge of the dynamics of i n d i v i d u a l and of group behaviour, e s p e c i a l l y i n i t s a n t i - s o c i a l m a n i f e s t a t i o n s . A b i l i t y to u t i l i z e group processes and r e l a t i o n s h i p s i n the i n t e r e s t s of an i n d i v i d u a l w i t h i n the group, and to maintain the primary working fovus upon the group while being conscious of the i n d i v i d u a l needs of i t s members. Marked a b i l i t y to c a p i t a l i z e on o b j e c t i v e experiences w i t h i n the group as a b a s i s f o r exposing the group to ideas and r e l a t i o n s h i p s which c o n t r i b u t e to the s o c i a l maturation of the members of the group. S k i l l i n s t i m u l a t i n g r e l e v a n t d i s c u s s i o n and i n a s s i s t i n g the group to pursue i t s t h i n k i n g i n c o n s i s t e n t and c o n s t r u c t i v e p a t t e r n s . A b i l i t y to make reasonably r e l i a b l e a p p r a i s a l s of i n d i v i d u a l s and of group r e l a t i o n s h i p s ; a b i l i t y to prepare c o n c i s e , s a l i e n t r e p o r t s . A good working knowledge of the elements of good s e c u r i t y and an a b i l i t y to ensure the observance of e f f e c t i v e s e c u r i t y measures, while at the same time implementing sound group work methods c o n s i s t e n t with the program's o b j e c t i v e of s o c i a l i z a t i o n . A b i l i t y to make sound, q u i c k d e c i s i o n s and to act thereon. S k i l l i n f o s t e r i n g c o n s t r u c t i v e team r e l a t i o n s h i p s with c o l l e a g u e s i n the i n s t i t u t i o n and i n prompting r e l a t i o n s h i p s among inmates which tend to r e s u l t i n growing s e l f - r e s p e c t f o r each member of the group. Appendix A - 4 -Personal Qualities: A genuine interest in people and a capacity to work with a group of people as an entity, while being aware of the individuals comprising i t . Considerable capacity to absorb hostile and aggressive behaviour; a capacity for objectivity about the behaviour of others, especially as i t is directed towards him. Persistent and patient, with an ability to be flexible. Good judgment in assessing the meaning of objective situations and in determining a course of action. Emotional maturity and strength; a warm sense of humour. Poise and personal comfort in the constructive use of authority. High standard of personal integrity. Experience and Training: Completion of senior matriculation (or the equivalent of the B.C. Senior Matriculation) plus successful completion of courses concerning the dynamics of individual and of group behaviour. These courses should be those offered by an agency of recognized standing; e.g., a University, a social agency, or a course of training leading to the professional practice of teaching, personnel work or related fi e l d s . Successful candidates for this class should be willing to pursue further studies, at the institution or at a University of recognized standing, pertaining to the principles and methods of thera-peutic social group work. Several years of paid or voluntary work with groups of young persons, preferrably those displaying behaviour problems. Appendix B Gl o s s a r y of Slang Terms used by Inmates Brew Bug, Bugging Bum beef Drag Dummy Hot car Hypes J o i n t Rough time S c o f f Short S i x and a b i g b utt Three and a get-up Weed Beverage made as a r e s u l t of mixing f r u i t , sugar, bread together with water; i f l e f t l o n g enough, the mixture develops a f a i r l y h i g h a l c o h o l content. Word used by boys to denote another boy who i s d i s t u r b e d . I t con v e n i e n t l y transforms an order or request i n t o 'nagging' by r e f e r r i n g to s t a f f members' r e q u e s t i n g a.boy to do something, to f i n i s h a job, e t c . Convicted of an offence one i s not g u i l t y of committing; or, accused of doing something of which one i s inn o c e n t . The main s t r e e t i n the community r e f e r r e d t o . Bread. Term a l s o used as, 'dummy-up', meaning to be q u i e t . S t o l e n automobile. Persons a d d i c t e d to drugs. A store,-shop, b u i l d i n g , e t c . In r e f e r e n c e to an area wherein an offence was committed: ' K i c k i n g - i n a j o i n t ' . S t a t e of mind as a r e s u l t of worry; as a con-sequence, days seem longer than they normally would be. Pood. Sentence soon to e x p i r e . S i x months and a p a r t of another month before sentence e x p i r e s . Three days and one n i g h t , before being r e l e a s e d , P ine-cut tobacco. Appendix C B i b l i o g r a p h y S p e c i f i c References - Text Books Fromm, E., Man For H i m s e l f , Rinehart and Company, New York, 1947. Knopka, G., Group Work i n the I n s t i t u t i o n , Whiteside Inc., and W i l l i a m Morrow and Company, New York, 1954. R e d l , F., and Wineman, D., C o n t r o l s from Within, The Free Press, Glencoe, 111., 1952. S l a v s o n , S.R., R e c r e a t i o n and the T o t a l P e r s o n a l i t y , A s s o c i a t i o n P r e s s , New York, 1956. Sykes, G.M., The S o c i e t y of C a p t i v e s , P r i n c e t o n U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s , P r i n c e t o n , N.J., 1958. General Reference - Text Books B l o c h , H.A., and N i e d e r h o f f e r , A., The Gang, P h i l o s o p h i c a l L i b r a r y , New York, 1958. B l o c h , H.A., and F l y n n , F.T., Delinquency: The J u v e n i l e Offender i n America Today, Random House,'Inc., New York, 1956. S a l i s b u r y , H.E., The Shook-Up Generation, Harper, New York, 1958. S u l l i v a n , H.S., The I n t e r p e r s o n a l Theory of P s y c h i a t r y , W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1953. S p e c i f i c References - J o u r n a l s , Pamphlets, Brochures B e r n s t e i n , S., " S e l f - d e t e r m i n a t i o n : King or C i t i z e n i n the Realm of Values?" S o c i a l Work, V o l . 5, No. 1, January, I960, pp 3-8. B i n k l e y , F., and McKorkle, R., "Applying the P r i n c i p l e s of Group Therapy i n the C o r r e c t i o n s I n s t i t u t i o n , " F e d e r a l P r o b a t i o n , March, 1950, pp 36-?40. B l o c h , H., and N i e d e r h o f f e r , A., "Adolescent Behaviour and the Gang", The J o u r n a l of S o c i a l Therapy, V o l . 3, No. 4, 1957, pp. 174-179. B l o c h , H., " S o c i a l Pressures of Confinement toward Sexual D e v i a t i o n " , The J o u r n a l of S o c i a l Therapy, V o l . 1, No. 3, A p r i l , 1955, pp. 112-125. Ca r r , L . J . , "Commitment of the Y o u t h f u l Offender", NPPA J o u r n a l , V o l . 2, No. 2, A p r i l , 1956, pp. 152-162. Chwart, J . , H a r a r i , C , Weisman, I . , "Why We F a i l " , F e d e r a l P r o b a t i o n , March, 1958, pp. 36-42. Cooper, I.B., "The Drama of Youth i n Our C r i m i n a l Courts", F e d e r a l P r o b a t i o n , March, 1955, pp. 36-42. Cressey, D.R., " C o n t r a d i c t o r y Theories i n C o r r e c t i o n a l Group Therapy Programs", F e d e r a l P r o b a t i o n , June, 1954, pp. 20-26. Fenton, N., " I n t r o d u c t i o n to Group C o u n s e l l i n g " , Pamphlet, p u b l i s h e d by the American C o r r e c t i o n a l A s s o c i a t i o n , New York, 1958. Fenton, N., "The P r i s o n as a Therapeutic Community", F e d e r a l P r o b a t i o n , June, 1956, pp. 26-29. Goldsmith, A.O., "The T h e r a p i s t ' s View of the Delinquent", F e d e r a l P r o b a t i o n , September, 1959, pp..20-24. Appendix C - 2 -Grunwold, H., "Group Counselling in Combatting Delinquency", Federal Probation, December, 1958, pp. 32-36. . Johnson, D.D., "The Role of Social Work Education in Preparing Personnel for the Corrections Field", Federal Probation, September, 1956, pp. 54-58. Klapman, G., "Group Psychiatry in Relation to Correctional Psychiatry," The Journal of Social Therapy, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1957, pp. 211-224. Knopka, G., "The Social Group Work Method: Its Use in the Correctional Field" Federal Probation, March, 1956, pp. 25-30. Kvaraceus, W.C, "Cultural Aspects of Delinquency", Federal Probation, March, 1959,. pp. 8-12. -Loving, W.S., Stockwell, F.E., Dobbins, D.A., "Factors Associated with Escape Behaviour of Prison Inmates", Federal Probation, September, 1959, pp59-6l McKorkle, L.W., "Guided Group Interaction in Correctional Work", American Sociological Review, 16 August, 1951, pp. 460-461. -Nelson, E.K., "The Gulf Between Theory and Practice in Corrections", Federal Probation, September, 1954, pp. 48-50. Novick, A., "Integrating the Delinquent and His Community", Federal Probation, June,1956, pp. 38-43. Studt, E., "The Contribution of Correctional Practice to Social Work Theory and Education", Social Casework, Vol. 37, No. 1, June, 1956, pp. 263-269. "Casework.in the Correctional Field," Federal Probation, September, 1954, pp. 19-26. "School Program for Correctional Personnel", NPPA Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1956, pp. 226-232, Wagner, A., "A Modern Institutional Program for the Youthful Offender," Federal Probation, March, 1956, pp. 20-24. Wilson, G., "The Social Worker's Role in Group Situations", Brochure, University of California, Berkley, Calif. General References - Journals, Pamphlets, Brochures Bloch, H., "Crime Causations Research and Its Application", Federal Probation, March, 1957, pp. 11-20. Clark, D.L., "Vocational Training and Its Role in the Rehabilitation Process, MSW Thesis, 1954. Cutcher, A.C., "Group Methods in a Treatment Home for Girls", MSW Thesis, 1958. Meeker, B., "The Social Worker and the Correctional Field",•Federal Probation , September, 1957,.„ pp. 32-42. Menninger, W.C, "The Therapy' of Friendship", Federal Probation, June, 1957, pp. 41-46.. Spicer, J.L., "Recreation in the Authoritarian Setting", MSW Thesis, 1945.
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Social Work
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Group work in an institution for young offenders : an analytical study of the introduction and development of group work services at the Young Offenders' Unit of Oakalla Prison Farm, 1951-1959.
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