Young, Pauline V. Social Treatment in Probation and Delinquency: Treatise and Casebook for Court Workers, Probation Officers, and Other Child Welfare Workers. 2nd edit. [New York:  McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. 1952. Pp.  xxvi + 536. $7.]

The present edition is a largely rewritten version of the first one which appeared in 1937. It is a textbook for social workers in criminology, especially for those who work with juvenile delinquents. It contains many case records with transcripts of court hearings, examinations, and reports. Samples taken from diverse parts of the country will acquaint the reader with the realities of probation and case work during probation. The author, a research sociologist, also indicates what probation work would be like under more ideal conditions. The ideal is not conceived in unrealistic terms. The difference between reality and ideal at times is indicated by Dr. Young herself, and frequently is left to the reader to notice. In this manner the author indicates the road of future development and the manner in which the practice can be improved. Psychological tests and psychiatric examinations are briefly described to give the social work student in criminology a concept of the contributions which can be made and of those which cannot be made in criminology by psychiatrists and psychologists. The author's orientation is eminently practical. She emphasizes descriptions of the actual procedures used in criminological case work, of the goals which can be accomplished, and of the complications one might encounter. The legal aspects are adequately discussed, demonstrating the differences between a regular criminal procedure and juvenile court procedure. The difficulties in making mental hygiene concepts understood and accepted by judges and correctional authorities are illustrated. Theoretical remarks are intermittent and consider the environmental factors as much as personal traits. “Delinquency is a resultant of the interaction of traits of a specific individual in a specific community, both of which have unstable factors tending to make for unadjustment. The precise weight to be given each of these factors may vary widely from case to case.” This thorough book has accomplished