August Aichhorn first published Wayward Youth in German in 1925. His willingness to approach a problem as difficult as delinquency in terms of psychoanalytic theory and to then test his theories with groups of delinquents in a reformatory setting were truly pioneering. Perhaps his greatest success as an educator was in attracting other psychoanalytic leaders, most notably Sigmund Freud and Kurt Eissler, to extol and extend his early efforts.

The turn of the century seems a fitting time to revisit Aichhorn's views, to assess his impact on colleagues, and to place his contribution in the perspective of current research and practices.