THE JACK-ROLLER A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY CLIFFORD R. SHAW With a new Introduction by Howard 8. Becker7. MAG 373018 The Urenis or Chcaco Pass, Ccx00 60697 The University of Cacag Prec 8, London Iroution © 1955 by Th Univesity of Cage + All gh ered ‘Original pushed 1930" Paprbac dion 1986 (080706 050405020100 415161718 Prin the United Stes of America IN: 0226.281260 LON: 06.2588 (© Ph paper wei ts pabicion mets th minima regument of {he American National Standard or nformation Scones ermancce ‘f Paper for Prine Library Materials N81 29.48 1092, INTRODUCTION Howano 8, Bucken The Jack-Rotler was first published in 1930 and has enjoyed ‘continuing and well-deserved popularity ever since, Ie was not the first published sociological life history. ‘That honor goes to the documents published by Thomas and Znaniecki in The Polish Peasant.’ But it was the first of a series to be published by Clifford Shaw and his associates, and was followed by The Natural History ofa Delinquent Corcer and Brothers in Crime, ‘Duting the same peeiod, Edwin Sutherland published the still poplar Professional Thief. And similar documents have been published occasionally since, most recently The Fantastic Lodge fand Hustler? ‘The life history is not conventional social science “data,” although it has some of the features of that kind of fact, being ‘an attempt to gather material useful in the formulation of gen ‘eral sociological theory. Nor ist conventional autobiography, although it shares with autobiography its narrative form, its first-person point of view and ite frankly subjective stance. Its ‘certainly not fiction, although the best life history documents have a sensitivity and pace, a dramatic urgency, that any nov- list woud be gad to achieve. 3 wih fo thank Blanche Gee, Morr Janowt Hancy May, se Staton Ameria (eh New Yar, 97h ans. "Cain an, Th Hat try of ena Cae (Cha, Stein Ze Pra Te (Ce) on ac Ha), sca ee (Garten Cay NE a), :CHAPTER I VALUE OF DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY "The subject matter ofthis volume fs limited to the case-study of the career of a young male delinquent, to whom we will refer as Stanley. The case Is one of series of two hundred similar studies of repeated male offenders under seventeen years of age, all of whom were on parole from correctional institutions when thestudies were made, The author's contact with Stanley hes ex- tended over a period of six years, the initial contact having been made when Stanley was sixteen years of age. Duting this period Telhas been possible to make a rather intensive study of his be- ‘havior and social background and to carry outa somembat inten sive program of social treatment. The case fs published to illus ‘rate the value ofthe “own story” inthe study’ and treatment of the delinguent child. As'a preparation for the interpretation of Stanley's lfeshistory, which comprises the major portion of thie volume, a brief description of the more general uses of “own Story” material, along with illustrations from a number of dif- ferent cases, is presented in this chapter. ‘The life-history record isa comparatively new device of socio- logical research inthe field of criminology, although considerable tse has been made of such material in other fields. The llfe- record itself isthe delinqueat's own account of his experiences, written as an autobiography, as a diary, or presented in the Course ofa series of interviews. The unique feature of such docu- ‘ments is that they are recorded inthe first person, in the boy's ‘own words, and not translated into the language of the person i vestigatng the case. While the use of the life-ecord requires ‘considerable refinement, it has already demonstrated its value, not only for research into the factors contributing to delinquent ‘conduct, but also forthe more practical purposes of social treat- meat. “Healy and Bronner were among the ist students of the prob “wa Hey an Aug Baer, Judge Bakr Foundation Cav Side,2 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY lem of delinquency to stress the importance of life-history mate- fal. Ta thelr case studies the child's “own story” is secured a5, ‘part of the routine investigation, and as proved to be of great value both in the analysis and treatment of their cases. Since the publication of Healy’s original studies, Drucker and Herter, au- thors of Chiron Astray, have made extensive use ofthis sot of ‘materlal, partfularly with reference to diagnosis and treatment W. 1. Thomas, ia his study of delinquency among girs, bas also smade considerable use of life-history material. Although the futoblographical excerpts which he presents in The Unadjusted Gir are somewhat fragmentary, they are by far the most illumi ‘ating materials in the volume. ‘During recent years a numberof interesting and Mluminating autobiographies of delinquents have been published.* The value of these documents, however, is greatly diminished because of the absence of supplementary case material which might serve as 1 check on the authenticity ofthe story and afford a basis for a ‘hore reliable interpretation ofthe experiences and situations de- scribed in the documents. As a safeguard against erroneous in terpretatons of such material it is extremely desirable to devel- op the “own story” as an integral part of the total case history. ‘Thus each case study should include, along withthe life-history document, the usual family history, the medical, psychiatric, and psychological ndings, the oficial tocord of arrest, offenses, and commitments, the description of the play-group relationships, land any other verifable material which may throw light upon ‘the pertonality and actual experiences of the delinquent in ques- tion. In the light of such supplementary material, tis possible to evaluate and interpret more accurately the personal document, {tis probable that inthe absence of such additional case material ‘ny interpretation ofthe life-history is somewhat questionable Te should be pointed out, also, that the validity and value of ‘the personal document are not dependent upon its objectivity or veracity. It is not expected that the delinquent will necessarily * Among be mot inereting af thee antotlogaph ae: (8) You Cant Win by Jack Bey (2) Selng through fan) My ile Prony ene SLABS cap nd Corby Cat Ct a (0) ne Gch VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY. 3 describe his life-situations objectively. On the contrary, i is de- Siced that his story will reflect his own personal attitides and Interpretations, for itis just these personal factors which are 20 important in the study and treatment of the case. ‘Th, ration- alization, fabrications, prejudices, exaggerations are quite a5 valuable as objective descriptions, povided, of coure, that these reactions be properly identified and clasified, W. 1. Thomas states tis point very clearly in the following quotation: ‘There maybe and is doubt a to the objectivity and vray of he re- od, bt even the highly subjetive record awa value fr behavior ey” A Socueot prepared by one compensating fora fsing of nel rea Flag «delusion of prectin i afar as goal frm ebetive ssi, ‘but the sbjecr's view ofthe stato, bow be eegards my be the mest ‘portant element fr iteration. Foe his nmedat eka lonely ‘hte toi dein ofthe stusto, whieh maybe tera of objoctve Tealiy, tin tems of «subjective apprection='as i fe wee #0, Very ‘ten ete wide cepeneyEotnen the sitaton a ae toss fhe siantion a tema the inl that beings seu the vert Ibevor dfely. To tke an exeeme empath waren of Dasnemore ‘Prloe recently refed to honor the ode of the Cost to tnd an male use the pin wal for sume specie purpose. He exued mit 00 {he ound thatthe man wa oo angeroum He ha Wied several prt th had te unfortunate Hai of taling ta temas onthe set Fre {he movement of thei lipshe imagined that they wee cling bs we nee ‘de beaved a this were ee. I ee Jeti stato a el hey ae ‘eal her consequneen® [WHAT THE DELINQUENT’S “OWN STORY” REVEALS In our study and treatment of delinquent boys in Chicago, we ‘have found that the “own story” reveals useful information con- ‘ering at least three important aspects of delinquent conduct: (2) the point of view of the delinguent; (2) the social and cul ‘ural situation to which the delinquent is responsive; and (3) the sequence of past experiences and situations in the life ofthe de- Tinguent. ‘rue oetmmqune sov's rome oF vEw ‘The oy's “own story" isof primary importance asa device for ascertaining the personal attitudes, feslings, and interests of the child; in other words, it shows how be conceives hi re in rela- “WI. Thoms ad Dorehy Seaite Thomas, The Chl a Ameri (Sew ‘oUt Aes A Reopt, 0020 37-74A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY. ‘ton to other persons and the interpretations which he makes of the situations in which be lives. Tt i inthe personal document ‘thatthe child reveals his feelings of inferiority and superiority, ‘hls fears and worries, is ideals and philosophy of life, his antag- ‘olams and mental conicts, his prejudices and ratlonaliztions. ‘As Burgess has already indicated, “In the life-history Is revealed, ‘28 no other way, the inner life ofthe person, his moral strug- Ges, his successes and failures in securing control of his destiny {na world too often at variance with is hopes and idels."* ‘Healy has slready emphasized the importance of understand Ing the emotional attitudes, mental conflicts, and the ideational feof the delinquent child. ‘The importance which he attaches to the life-history recordin the study of these subjective aspects ‘of delinquent conduct is suggested in the following quotation: No sty f dinquets that is either acetic or practical from the standin of trestnent can be ndertalken witha getting tbe facts whch fam nly be obtained hough the individual's owa ory wel ple by sy>+ ‘patbee qucronng. Te regues more techalal unéesandng and ai Ing than pehap ay tbe part ofthe ty. "The sawn sary” ford he ony mane of acquiring Knowledge of many facts coneming oti sltston se wel at factors the mentale wich ‘maybe stv elments a produlg tht which we ae stxying aly the tendency to delinquency. There na much cer pycholny eoncerved ih Ssner metal ie memories, Sean, mage, ee, wich Ut eons ‘eckerounds than dreamed of Sing ap rtnary cumiation of dello- {ten Young prt, And thee no mate of teoreeal or aeadeaie a= teres fia mst well in spacial bearing upon what ought to be done ‘Se ofthis strait deeply buried that it reules considerable skilen the prt of the Inger to overcome inktons and forptfuleser {rte wncryngfondasetal rath of te stuntin maybe brought to In order to illustrate the value ofthe “own story” inthe study ‘of the feelings and attitudes of the delinquent, a limited number ‘of excerpts from the lifexecords of delinquent boys are present- ‘ed. Case # is that of afourteen-year-old boy who was brought to ‘8, W, Bora “The any andthe Penen.* Petnay andthe Soa reap (Cen Unser of Casto Pr). Swe Hty nd Augusta F. Brome, Judge Biter Foundation Cave suas, CxeNevs pp ase ee VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY s the juvenile court repeatedly on charges of habitual truancy from home, picking pockets, and shoplifting. His career in de- Tinguency began at an early age fa the form of truancy. While truanting from home he became a member of a gang of oldcr boys who were engaged in shoplifting and picking pockets. In ‘the light ofthe total case history it appeared thatthe early ru- ancy from home was directly elated tothe family situation, As ‘revealed in the following excerpt from the boy’s “own story,” ‘one important aspect ofthe situation was the intense emotional attitude of hostility which developed in elation tothe stepfather. Cove No. 2—When Iwas gt years of age all my troubles started: My {asker ted and Tee and wat lonsme fora oa tne He was ny best {ced aod slond by me and could ot seep for thinking about bia. ‘woe with hm nthe store afterschool and he gave me things Lo eat S20 ‘oney and lots of tinge cnt have any brother o aster a be gue me ‘sreting, “Abo! Sve month after he ed my motbet wate another fellow. Thi fellow care in and stated to ran ny father's sore Ths flow bed tee Huds a he brought these i fo my fthers hose olive. ‘Two of BH tes boys and one wat pif. ‘The Boye wat three year der nn me and Tegel was the same age ae "Flow tld me Fwas ool to workin the sor ands boys would take my pace, Tht made me sore abd T wet lo wy other and be wald forme not to say anything. Tared to Save Ste wil tell abd ‘iT ade soso when thi ello let ie Ede tae every and me oting ‘Bretything changed and I started tobe sad and wshappy. My mother sina fo thi fll’ pata me. She ed me, but sent want {olmak an tole it hm. T buds ght every day witht allow snd ‘ibs bees they fot candy Inthe te andT coulda’ et anything “Ge dy iter ako {went othe sore and started to wa on cite “The fellow a, "Vou Dil [one of is owe Ld] tht nd Yount ot Gt bere!” "That made me oll insige and T eaued chem, and (i Tllw Chesed me and san away. Tstyed ou ofthe Bowe all nit and sept under ‘Seto’ doors Heine nthe night aod Tg met snd ead The ent moming Igo heme but met fo athool and my mother came there to gt me [tld her I cin® Hue anything at home and wouldnt go buck. Fiuly she took ne home and thief baled mo ota Teed him {ein abd then he beat se with sta for emg bis sad ime say. “Tnamed tran say St they ed me othe bed. Then his fellow ide ‘woul cote slong and eagh st me abd pot Ue Rages at oe. That made6 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY sored ot and T started to Ls and cme therm, Thi fellow cane runing {nt the rom rom te sore and lapped me. Then T beg oe aad of Wn, He wat big tod sso and # treme oa of tm th T wou ‘sy a word, Tstuted to be lonesome and sped my tne avay from base [ica ne I thought abot my father and how tog ma at home bore he died T bated evrything an fle Ike iling ths fellow ands Eide ‘Everyday Thought Bow I could Bi thes Tul ge heen ut of ay ben heh ao ti dl he ne when Twa by my “Tags got worse and Ttartd to stay sway from home mos ofthe tne ‘The nt tine T stayed amy on ight the two ote night se aly ‘ole month "When Tsayed sway month the police found me and tock met court, tut watect home” But cadet and there, Breryting nade mead ‘snd Tlie ling thf, 20a sway aay tes and ws oly at othe Caago Parental Schoo.» “ma poled from the school afer ve monte and wast lve at home. "hated them moe than eve when Ica back. They was the case o il of my trouble and now they thought Iwas ermine.‘ fellow chusht Ns ds dt allover me When Tae them in my fathers store ae oting ny, made me wat toll somebody. Ian tel ou how mad Tg at {Sees T rl heldmy eng back hey dn ave ay fo "Ac the ed of thet wes Thad ght Teused to smep out the stare ‘when th fellow tod me to and be bed me out 1 couldn do anything Tork teenie of the way i fl abot hin, and he ase me the dest ‘fant to ever go tack When T was ana tas tine T gt In with °W0 gus “dwn and they stared me Ino picking pockets nd naling the sors (Going) fe he Loop = ‘The following cate is presented to further illustrate the value ‘of the “own story” in the study of personal attitudes. This short, ‘excerpt reveals the boy's attitudes toward his own delinquent ex- periences. From his own point of view his delinquencies assume ‘he character ofa very stimulating and facinating game. Cave No, 2—Every morning the bunch wold come pst my home about steal time. We if home at thi tne to ake Sr parents hk we mee {ong to schon. Ie was ey for me fr my mother war wocking sod n't {Enow mich about me, We would sneak ride en he elevated rlmay, ‘lmbing up the scuctre tothe saton, tothe Lanp. Aer ety dove tow, we woud make the ound ofthe big tre. Tf we couldnt Heal eno VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY 7 candy and anne goods or inh, me wou go withoot ach. Edo nt know yang ete hat iterested sn enough ogo without a meal xt "ang {he bg store” oid T do aot know whether a good tring would have (Grete or mt at T never ected one fr stealing, fs the ove my ater {hve me wen be was mad But anyway te boing experiences were Sche ening aod ling. But wndermeats {Kind of knew tat T marca, fof toil outa when Isle But you was Inthe grip ofthe Bunch and {td en by the encngpearare which we bod Logetber. Thee was no we ‘ul Th feling of galt which Th oul ot overbalance the strong spe Sriny chune td sboplting. At et Ii not stl for gin nor out of Scent for food. Tale beat nar he mow facinating thing I could Gor twas way tapas the tng, for I think Thad kena adventer ‘ist than the other oye of my ge sot of more mentally ale. cn ‘et to py tame games nor be conned in seolonm. T waned some {Ring ere cng, Ted he daredeilopint, would walk down between {he nda om the elevated ies the sume ding op tht stale. TL {vee thls tried my cma turn We were all like, ding FBladiotates cance ‘When we mere sboitng wo alnays made a gum of For example, we righ gle on who ou eal the mst cape fn ny, of Wh cold sel (Se rom th ngs umber of ares ins da could ea I te presence ‘tadateive and then getaway. We wer sly arg each he that way Sd inking up now schists, This wa he Bet prt of he gue. T would {into = store to steal aca, be yng one on, and when the devk was not, ‘Techng wal oto the sr, leaving he od cap. With the new ap omy ne 1 wold goto smother store do the sare nga nthe ther sare, [tng new bat an leave the aoe Tho tae fom the other lsc. igh do ral day and uve one Bata aight asthe fan T wanted not tba, kop hsp or mothe and then besa ol the things oa mas ‘ute Wee Sides Irae tise hat I Dogan to eal for san ‘A second aspect of the problem of delinquency which may be studied by means of the “own story” is the social and cultural ‘world in which the delinquent lives. It is undoubtedly true that the dec uent behavior of the child cannot be understood and texplained apart from the cultural and socal context ia which it ‘occurred. By means of personal documents it is possible to study not only the traditions, customs, and moral standards of neigh- Dorkoods institutions, families, gangs, and play groups, but the ‘manner in which these cultural factors become incorporated into the behavior trends of the child. The life-record discloses also8 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY the more intimate, personal situations in which the child is living; that is, the attitudes, gestures, and activities of the persons with wwinom ‘he bas intimate contact, With reference to this point, ‘Thomas states: Perhaps the greatest importance of the behavior document be oppor tual ealferdsto neve be atiudes of ter pesos tenons Ineoces, size the mast Iportant sation inthe developnens of pe ‘asi ae the atte and vale of be pesone® Th leaganrntn onlin Preece remeneenr ia Sin eee cemarnceee aah Serene eee ane een sy ace ca peace ncn ant St Sr ry eis pommel Sa an mae eee regen cette ce geste iy Seregiowes es tmete terete ae Seo ctw ire a ‘ica ae eeisatreens Sea lorries me te i er aa, ei ce Sy ses tog or ran aes entrar nwt wen argent retort a nent canarias yo ees Suewniemnennes ami Se iesemere aera n Seri, Wnieg a senarae nn ama ees ean eer aeons ne Bereta ieatonin nance aommenteo ae Signe Mraathieerameaterate Eanes eel eee ee ian VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY ° My des wer pct and not ke anyother man T have ever known es nese ins pions and very dogmatic. He ivy ina that [rei although ie poved wrong He's proud of hie, bath avery ‘rea of pope and avays nd fat wich what they suo. Bat i on. Se boa ree hore trouble, he Gost ke Ke He wants 04 to (eveything fs shes an sts sel up asa mode. He pee hd parler aboot ow he talee and he way Be dremes Once when T [Haredo wash in warm water flr he bad a te to ue cad water, be ot fend and pabed me by the throat wit oe and, and started me wi thet my der ok my a and hen bt nd at er an ‘ean gore hm ot 0 jst acept him at face wae and lett go a Feet mieraleby jst his pecula, syle exeeson. He does approve sething Ido. My fcens are all "bad chaos ad tees," Trend “Seas books” Tim not "dependable of tlh” Ten "vgs," go to ‘Shea shown have too mark intereat n gly" “an gap fart thing "have wrong eas abut religion and everthing” He thinks every {hing about mel rons ‘Brerytlag wil be ele lathe house wnt my dd comes bome roe work, ‘hen the atmombere chang. Te soon fos lea orgie. He cal and ‘ical nd uma up Bienes everyting. ICT sya mor aboot something ‘Wat bappennd at eho or sendin the newopupe, to look atone a ito ty, "Ohi that all you've gu to talk about? Why Son you ge inetd {s tomehing wor whe?” So toon the whole atsospere changed and tre jst tat the table whoa sapng a word. If theres eonveration {nays en argument and dad ne oberg other's rouble = ‘My mother sogstber dierent tom my dad. Sele spate and plat 1 do wrong abe seas ke mest metber, but a le way. She ‘Enkei aw and evan fall tos tout ber tone with da. Shots ‘my part agunt him, T sully go ov to shows wich my tober, The whale Tally does do tings topeber very often Usually my dad works oF ‘ead sy broer wort a is sbop and mothe and go ot togaber. She {ele tat sb as almaye Bad trouble wits dad and hat whan my rote nd ape eto of acho! me wl leave hi The trouble mith te station ‘shat plier le ever gis together. My mothe Is ellgous and wants to {to church bt my dad objects and wor Io ergo. He tints hee 20 {sutigent to be alipous She kee moves and novels bute fers tet Tet enjoy these ines "Now to dicts the ak bt not last member ofthe fam, my brotes, Ho's aogeter diferent tram me so oly i looks bt in dpostion. He ‘ceases nth beh my father andy mother so ast besa. Tv [eamed throgh plofalepirance that this ira wise hing toda Ou ates10 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY to not sees with ech eter except in the pching of il. He doen ke to mock very well rept at he mock bench Where Be cia work Wik oa [ele very clever with bs hands whe came to making things. He dosn't fom tobe disturbed about te family situa. He cases at my dad be $d stack, and sypathices wit my mother when my dad ent around. ‘Werardy ever ply topter ike brothers ‘Sovur family ina ike any oter fm; ke deat dog, every fl. low for itt. We never enjoy ourselves together ot do tings tke ober ‘aes. My mother basher own Seas and ny dds Mad sy ever tree, They never gut tage, Tse ih my mlber,and bat nk ay ‘dor thea be thinks Pama doclecrner My bron play po ba fem and hey bah isk be a double-crser, Tot act ari ay latent ther acy et pan i ne seta anni sae Serr eas soe ned seangeSomnse ios Foeht Oats Cox Cou ah oad at et dere cs we ete oe ela " ott pe slut ain fas CARse lalla ity tne tree tn cero Sachs bate sty eee ee tate tai cn a saat iat gc er Trent a! lr evade once toma ante ett Setters ceeenast gaara GLE ces owe wants Fa ln Ja cm age ap Senet tere eration Rnenaicigetatrihncenta tere saat Epp ieaiccemma eee etet Secs SE or aacenuncte cee Mehta ape ee es res ielecr arma Setteraug tet caf fein Hecee eee rire las eee cee ee ata ee eae oe Bijele reece ite VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY a We Sit robbed ju from a junk yard nd sometimes from the pedal Semetimes we robbed soe We would go to store and mile oo guy hed to buy something theater guys weal ra anything Ike cacy fod levees nd then ran. We this evey uy. Sole slay nd the ans ‘Tony an Jobe would carryout the plan, "Toe gang ha a hagout nan aley aad me would meet there evry night nd sake and ll tres ap pln for robin. T'was Il and 201 only teed. The big uy talked aboot ging robbin and told tres bot gi thlser things. The guys alnays thou shout robin sed barmin for ‘Shoo and sometimes from home "Besser, te gang went bun downtown and to ball pas and vii On thse tlpa we sways robbed everyting we cold et ‘Went was ton the geng ware to rbbln toes 20d horas, We wou Jimny the Sor or window and Tob the pace. always stayed ease mad fe zee, The bg guys weot fn and raed the place They showed me ow opi lok, fmty doors co ls, and we selon keys nd eer (hing to et ito store and oases. Every guy bad to Kop everything & ‘Fed to kop umn and ot ella word ev Toned wp to my brober and neste iggy beens of tel cowage and aerve an the way they coal soe They woud tell me never to )'8 ‘rord to axyiody aboot our robb. My mother dnt even lnow he Satne ds court be inthe gang beeatse they weuld tll everthing and some ‘it have the nerve ogo robin. The guy with ecard mere looked wp tootsie bythe yume gg, Aoteon wasnt dors ot “Toe guy stuck operand helped each ater out of toue, They mere rea god pale and would tek up for ech eter ‘ny wee ays pacing ‘ow eles abd ew ways to get by witout beng raphe Everyone ted {he pelloe ad loaked upon them anemic. Anybody who was fenly fo the pice mas nt trusted. The plans fr Sealing were aways sete ad Snyhody who talked sbost thes to feows outed ofthe gang orto tae ice wat bot itated and became an neo the Petes Unfortunately very little effort has been made to secure re- liable data concerning the social processes which go oa within detention homes, correctional schools, and penal institutions, and the influence of these processes upon the attitudes, personal and philosophy of life of the inmates. Most studies of such In tutions have been concerned primarily with the physical equip- ‘ment and the formal administrative organization, The vale of fan approach from the standpoint of the actual experience and12 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY ‘emotional reactions ofthe inmates is suggested in the following Case No, 5-—Wile fhe Detention Home Tf scared inmay, ‘nor wat tak to any of th boy here. Te seemed ata te boys bot ‘De at hme here ‘That waste lomoret ne Lever speak. The boys St the Detention Home tae, al ong delinquents soem yo ‘Tat they fad done onthe ote a ely wat they tell yo tony Tart rus about one hundred tines worse han any piper could pela ‘ecardig tthe, they Baye come’ ore crines tan thre toa te ‘Saget Thre endetnd the thing Se Thought hat asc red to them, Tt onl an fet rine, abou on he oti Thad hough nyse an exper sbpliter fet ch ow hem tw Intend ht ot ofthe thig hy told were fake ais Mt ofthe com ‘ersten was about rine; everybody talked and hougt abou ing ‘ine Tes cine ce and more erie. aa plc eth Deen Home and very Dace where inguents are corse anybody wa fers oy ot oa for wat bea oe pel Seared by Bis flow nmates, You may fa sorry to oul, but you dee tot maka it known, Tey ty to make you thnk tha tere & Bono aon {rook whe eee ca of "dog eat dog" A flow wil save Bimal fc andi low mats inte ved, and wag tbe prion vernal, Aouiecronsed everyone who bas ted to help wm Why Tv, fant Spr Twas on tbe wrong eof the wal rem the ar aa colt geo {Bevis Prom the very sar Keune abi re ied an {com anything else And wice ms pa nthe Detertion Home ad ter “ast Ne acta te Daan Heese sey incon whe simile conned, te mates way alle about te expres Se ‘Tat te sa opie of convermtb. Thee tds always rn thins inthe ache. Every fei eso txpess upon everbody do what 2 pet cial bei ud ow many bg eli cote he he pled ‘aytbiog the wnderword the wean, murder, robber intrentng fatale about Every fellow tet tl the igg ext ad ak the ber ews loo opto hm a bg sb ands dving conan "Tey tl abou the outed bow theyre ging to ge hy tenet ine ‘Tay tein the pol, tnd the 6? 98 tl he yong flow Bow {our ty inthe racket and nt ge eaht Th fellow whos nie res 12 Sed snd ae fin of If theres anhing that takes 4 young cea Sibel sto be eed by «big fo beg 4 comer Case No. 7=-When a flow aries lathe Jl be Ut shy and bas tetany. bot hs oon wets of an be conadets hig un od ier, hig alos” When wus tse omy el arated, What e VALUE OF BOV'S OWN STORY 8 yuu got, Senay?” Tepid, Five tneuy thee” Thea a flow in the ea Sin Wil, youre my bude, then.” Teamed and sow aicedonkng yoone {low abou twenty years ld ecning agaist the ell door He si, "Vs, ‘Cyingout o, that makes fur nou al nom. Vl have to seep on th Soe "That al igh” Tsai ot wandng fo show Rn hat If sore riba colds ough. "Tis fellow was alas and in lo a robbery charg nd eng eld for Jet He was aie flow and had good racket but bad Bus rap and ‘Testow ging othe Pe. fort longer. He asked shot my racket and | {cid Lin. We spent many long tes talking shout our expeconcs in the feist Aluelater the oder buds came ito the cll "The mala tpi of conversation would loys be about tain Ove guy would el about the barges beh done er oter dangerous rbbercr be Ee seceded in dingo the Bg jo be pat over en the lw There were ‘en jl aresed for burglary, obbery, coadeace game, and everthing. (ne cll bud, Stub, w sore guy, was in for ety Tare. He was the Iuging tock of the crm “The liners would enjoy ving advice tothe newcomer about bow plead of What to say. They were god storys, One ol tines by the {hme of Slim was a peat Ronrtaler Al of Ba sores were of Bg bar {Gari bank robberies and eres. Weal teed and war hled. Ie to {age we wera god cums. Ted to be jist Ie theo Uns, epelly Sime rolled bis ovn cgnetes so rolled mine, eventhough Tin money forte made once I was afraid he might get the en that Twas (yng Av bi wp. ‘There can be litte doubt that behavior trends, and perhaps the total personality as well, are greatly inftuenced by the situa- tonal pressures and experiences which occur inthe life ofthe in- dividual. Therefore, any speci act of the individual becomes ‘comprehensible only inthe light ofits relation to the sequence of past experiences in the life of the individual, As Thomas in- ‘lentes: appears that behavior tats and thei otaity a represented by the14 A DELINQUENT BOV’S OWN STORY ete xcs pale Maal, dig the sano, eng “The study of case histories has indicated that very frequently the delinguent behavior of older offenders may be traced back tocxperiences and influences which have occurred very life. Im many ofthese cases it is possible to describe the contina- ous process involved in the formation and fixation of the delin- ‘quent-bebavior trend. In the search for factors contributing to delinquency in a given ease, its desirable therefore, to secure ‘as complete a picture ofthe successive events inthe life of the olfenders as posible. Here again, Uh “own story” has proved to be of great value, To quote Thomas agai: ‘The bebovor document (cae atu, Hfesecord,pychoaalytie conte sion) sepesets «continuity of expec nite nuaton Int god ee ‘tof ths kind we ae abot view th Beavirrsstos i vara sta {ons the emergence of peony Ul, the determination of casera 8 td the formation of ie plein he evoltion® ‘The value of the lifeshistory document in the study of the sequence of event in the life of the delinquent, and the manner Jn which this sequence has contsibuted to the development of @ Aelinguent-behavior trend, is well lustrated inthe detailed life- history presented in the subsequent chapters of this volume, Nevertheless two short excerpts will be presented at this time to lusteate the way’ In which the “own story” reveals crucial ot critical experiences in the life of the delinquent. ‘The experiences {described In these excerpts marked the beginning of two long. careers in very serious juvenile delinquency and adult crime, ‘Under the continued influence of a delinguent-group situation, the behavior tendencies originating In these fital experiences in delinquency gradually became crystallized into well-defined criminal bebavior patterns. At the present time the authors of ‘hese documents are serving long sentences in adult penal in tutions. "1 Thomas “Pectin the Urban Eevee” Pe Ubon Comma: sy (igo Uaierty of Ca Pes) p38 Shy. 1 Tham abl Dorothy Swaine Thomas, The CHM x Amerie (908, VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY 4s Cut No, 8—The ft tne Fever sole anything dd’ reali Twas sealing Tj og wae a interning game Le apoened whe Twat ‘Seoyent ol Trememberthat quite clay a a ja strate sebol ‘Siew day before and Twin the second ne, bvig ated to scool he fore On this uy, 2 Saturny inte Seperber, mas syne In Fon of my bane witha boy byte same of Willa He was ve Jatt {iter than te and ved in the sete block that THe ated me to 30 ‘Sone wat hn nd be wou show te something, liked tha fellow ae i, Hewat in tan to wmehig in my bart. Weld tecome good fend [ew gn befor, Tment along with him He ha tive as fall of {aan off, We ived onthe northwest come of Lana W Stra, ‘Stew backs wet th Loop. Willam tsk me tos frat sor hat waa focted about black from my owe. Ths fut sore had baskets, bres, Sd bones containing Et and veuabs stig ot in font of ey a the ‘fete war ill aon He, tha Se Wile, stated to wal pst be ful [Nore and a he cat to Bf be too ame fat anal on. He ‘Bovoed fc ine to do the sae thing. Tae second, hing nfrid and ‘Servs, but Wilma moloned forme to ry, anda de man 0 Be ‘Hvar flomed and the ame thing We enc went by the star once (ov tng sre fut. After ne ate the frat the aly, be task me bere Noni. T though th qite at adventure snd enjoyed taking the fr very mc ‘During ie next fw day Xing wih Willa ahs chums an we aise frm mony frat stores i te neghborodWillam had ot of ‘hme; mot of them wse lee than te, and we sole some Bile things ‘Sey day aly ri om te and, and vamatines we tae things fom “Wen togan o Bag ou with this hanch of boys T eee say out of sebool, Nove ofthe boy in the bunch west to scool apd uo dao ‘Wali woaly Ya he way. He by the may, ow dead. He was sto Few peace ago by the gang he was even Wich, fr cling thet secret 0 {BC plc ‘He massa interesng cham an knew los abou eaing One {ny be cate over tomy boat and tak ee downto Reoeelt Road few ‘locks away frre myhome. We busmet all day, glo to shows and wane (hing eroud the stent AU night wo went to a pooroom em Roosrelt ‘Roudat a est of window ting. ecu in rt and Slowed ‘He enpted te cash coger and gave me two dal and tof ches {id dimen That ys my Set Berpoy, bu a Tlook back wow i seemed Satu an nt have nuh fea or tik was wrong Tus went wich [tne and lo bunch tad wedi everyting together ‘Willa Kaew how {ose andi remem fr se to go wih i 1k hi a ota te ied tw ave ie with bm. We dit do mach cae bt steal aod lay Tooke tom school Bow of the Bay around there tale a ite, Ike fui16 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY snd jun, plye hoskay from shot and most of the older boy tle big {hinge ar and rake nt tree == aly hed my St vist tothe depcrment store inthe Loop. Wi ‘ing nd two eter bays bad been shoplifting things nthe Loop an aking Iotsaf many. They albedo abou but ba ever asked me aco any them This day when they aed mo goto the Leop 1 was happy ad new what we were gobg toca They ook te though mot ofthe big der parmct stores an the de apd ten cet sore Twas grealyimpresed by {hetighsTasw-—ihe rows end big stores. My chum sole from the cou tera butt mar new tome s0 I da ty. ‘Thee fllowed many tere vss ‘othe Loop and fall T bse fo steal de teks frum te counters Ser my escorts tutoring. Be knew te Bouse detectives and spotted them for tt and showed me how talp igs nt my ato put my baton te ting ‘Pesnted to teal and thn take it wih ey bat. We operated in dierent ‘nares so the detectives woul topo 0 seine why 0 (0 ‘pest. Within s few wks I became an expert sopliter I lot ners Sa the conpanios of former days. T ke the new game of sealing Thad Team, and trl was «gave and I payed Ie wth much 2st ad reli {wanted to lar more sbow this new aus and to ldlg it Whole- ‘endl, and Taide fo the exch fae T forge sou tho slo eniey. Compared to stealing an playing in the Loop, schoo ite ‘ves monotonous and uninteresting (Cue Yop When Twas eight year Td my first Job in the races, “Tis fo waste lagen thi I ever fot in may Ife. IU happened alo in ‘Ape. Toat doy {wat banging aud ah nye brother and bi ne. ‘They bad oon laying basal all afternoon and Tar watching hems ‘hen got too ar to lay bal we all went io the ay to ave spe se tll stain. "The hig gs got to talbag boat sealing and oy othe side ada god pace opted where me would pet some ey Gooch” (mone). The place nara butcher shop ia Tit. Set The ‘gos panned everyting wad Tony Istened These guys were seven {Heh years older an pe and ha pled of at of big ob before. They trald neve et ego with them 0 ig a, bul this ight T wet loa end {Roy ait aya word, Weall went tothe btcheratep shou 1:30 0'lck war very Aart and evrything wan quit and Twas nervous sod saped ‘Sout y beater, Weal uiped around int the aly bend ve bathe ‘hop snd my brother and note big gy went up tothe Bulding to sexi ‘he ors were unlocked. iy bother had bean the lace fe day before toxce how to get and where theca eater ao and s0 be el be may and two oter guys mated oe tothe ley Uetver two bugs, We sree ein to ge “ages” a's ite while ty brother came back an sid everything was Toke sig "The owner ved up over te butcher abo, se coulda ake ae ose by breaking the late fine the doe” We ll eat upto be tack VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY 0 or sod then my brother got a box and stood oni nd ted the transom noi opened It nae to ite for my brother af the ober guys fo Be {frou en Twas teed wen they ond 4 Bave to er hough the ane. That war he Kick of my mba ss only ight ad alvays nas very ItUe so I cold get rough the tran cary Tv ceed ba mae op my mind 9 go through ane Tent thee ay 20, ‘Sy brother ited me up ons sours and T crawled though the ‘yantom Bung dow on th iste and stood on nebo ad then craled {Town onthe foe, Te door was locked wth «pacock sad chain bat Tae Seto unlock the window and et the ig gor in that may. The big Boyt leaked fr mone st and found twenty-two cols. Then weal gt eve {Bing me wanted to et and seven cans of curtis sd ced the lace ‘nen we gt out my Bother dived yp evrything ad Igo four dal lap ab tof cpzetten fl Hike big abot” aftr tt might andthe ‘e evssnd I ould go ith them every te they went robin. Almoxt very mah we went robbIn and mary thoes Thad to cv hough tansoms hone ine through an ebox hol. ‘Tat’ why the big ys elle te ‘he aby bend As illustrated inthe foregoing cases, the “own story” reveals theestentially human aspect of the problem of delinguency. For in such documents one gains a sympathetic appreciation of the dhild’s own personal problems and the sort of world in which he vse or peLquzwr nor's “own sromy” raving Mlustrated in the foregoing pages the sort of material revealed in the boy's “own story,” it is desirable at this time to indieate briely the we of such data, Inthe fist place, the child's “own story” is of particular importance in the diagnosis and treatment of cases of delinquency. The attitudes and intimate situations revealed in thelife-story not only throw light upon the fundamental nature of the behavior dificulty, but, long with the other case material afford a basis for devising a plan of teat- ment adapted to the atitude, interests, and personality of the chia. ‘Anintensivestudy of the detalledlife-histores of more thantwo ‘nundred young repeated offenders on parole from the St. Charles School for Boys indicates rather clesrly the great importance of Aealing with the intimate personal aspects of the delinguent’s18 A DELINQUENT BOV’S OWN STORY situation, The large amount of failure in probation and parole vrork i not at all surprising, since the worker is forced under the ‘pressure of heavy’ case load, to deal primarily with the more formal and external aspects of his cases. An essential prelimi- nary step inthe effective treatment of any case of delinquency is to secure a knowledge ofthe delinquents personal attitudes and timate situations as revealed in his “ow story." In many eases this knowledge i to be secured only after painstaking study and ‘prolonged contact with the delinquent. Tn the absence of such Knowledge, the worker's relation to his case is necessarily more ‘of less formal, and the treatment consists chiefly of attempts to ‘gain control ad elfect adjustment through threats of arrest and ‘punishment. ‘Many of the St. Charles delinquents whom we studied had been placed in fster-homes prior to their commitment to this in- stitution, Judging from their life-histories, many of the failures of the fosier-home placements, particularly in the cases of the folder delinguents, were due to the fact that the foster-homes vere selected with too litle regard for the attitudes, interests, ‘and social values of the child. Apparently in many cases, the fos- terchome had been selected solely upon the basis ofits superior economic, educational, and cultural status. The discrepancy be- teen the child’s cultural background and that of the foster- home seriously complicated the problem of adjustment. ‘Take, for instance, the caze of Stanley, whose history is pre- sented in the fllowing chapters. At the age of fourteen years he ‘was placed in the bome of a wealthy and childless couple. They ‘became so interested in hima that they proposed to adopt him and ‘make him their heir. Judged by outside standards, this home offered every advantage. Yet, from the standpoint of the boy, ‘the situation was s0 strange, formal, and uninteresting that ad- Jstment was not possible. ‘The social distance was too great. ‘To quote from his “own story”: “Tae surroundings in my new boos and neghbocbood tok my breath away. My Se ay atthe loncome was ke #swert das. Toe new [uy eed o uc an ind me My new father rode with eto work ‘very morsng and bom In the evening. Wr ad ice nc togethe ‘stun, He alked nice tome, gave me pening money nad goed ths, be VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY 19 {sted my old pals and the py fe we ha ve, Here Ti not have any {pychurms at to pend my ine pal the vitro. Dy foster parents (Sd bve tnch ie, bu peat tele me seaig and iain ae pane reas. They bed lots of company of snobbish prope ao they oced hve ov se. Ben i they erence, it mes bean of ty and chr. ‘Thee massomething msg” Eating the able Twas ate coat tbe hing ost ria, nd my foster mother ose at my onder: hgh {he comer of ter ee. I compared eveything with my sisters commen fare {poor suroundings, and aly Iooged to go back toy enn pa ‘Bok home Tacs ened up all the tne tad coud play sad tomy and [ible and swe. Ba ere Ima ot feo move and eal a war tthe {she of eaing before. Eveeything was diferent strange and we 1 fl (of plce—a cy wall Jopendest pon cacy. Thad be a jl tall = tine, but sow {was rudely raced insur afer Iiving fn 2 ty ree My adventurous spt rete aie they life, ad soen wo ft. That is one of he ela Jokes, how Ife Tani to mye, What {tte of heving che Ifyou ent ein hed Life-history data have theoretical as well as therapeute value, ‘They not only serve as means of making preliminary explora: tions and orientations in relation to specif problems in the fed of criminological research but afford a basis forthe formulation ff hypotheses with reference to the causal factors involved in the development of deinguent-behavior patterns. The validity fof these hypotheses may in turn be tested by the comparative Study of other detailed ease histories and by formal metho of statistical analysis, "The most extensive sclentifc use of pertonal documents in the ‘general sociological elds that of Thomas and Zanlecki in thee study of contemporary Polish peasant culture in Europe and ‘America. This elaborate and illuminating study was based large ly upon the analysis of personal letters and sutobiographical documents. By the se of such materia twas possible to analyze the behavior ofthe Polish peasant nits relation to Polish peasant culture in Europe and to describe the personal disorganization which occurs among the Polish peasant immigrants as a result ofthe disintegration oftheir eultre in the large urban commun ties in America. Since it may be assumed thatthe personal docu ment is equally valuable in the study of the problem of dein ‘quent behavior and in the study of human conduct in general, the20 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY ‘oncusions of Thomas and Znaniecki in regard tothe scientific value of such documents are especially significant inthe present ‘iscustion: “Whether we din our materials fr sco! anlyai rom dtaled veers of concrete ladle or from the sbioratin of ae pe ‘otnns, the poems of soklgial analy re theese But even ies steam sachng for sbtace ame freer of eoncete personae have Tattked penny over any otber Kind of mater. We arse sing {hat personal fesecords, a complete as possble contiute the erect, {ype of ootlopel mate sod ht if acl cence bar oe ter mater {SMe alt ony boca of the prac diuly of obtaining atthe ‘Boment sauce! umber of such rears to cover betta of socio- [gia pote, aad of the Coormous amount of work Jeanded fr an sgunssniyl ofl te personal tvs necentay to chatter the itera cil group If wear forced foe maar pichomena as mater, fr any ind of happenings taken without reat to the Ufesorie ofthe ‘Edad who parkpte fn them a defect, pot an vantage ef ou preset scalpel method Tadeo iis len tat ev for he carateizntion of inte socal sta— tule and valuespersnalfeecords iv ste mos ext apprsch [Anatitde se manifed in an aed act wage subj to misnerpe {ation bt hs danger nike Inthe ver measure of ou aby to cone tet tisat with pst ctf the sume indivi. A socal nstuton cn be {lly nertod only Hf we do nt lit ourselves tothe asst sly of it oral eslatio, bot analy the way in wich It appears inthe Pe ‘coal exerene of various members of Ue group and fallow the Infuence ‘Which ba poa thei ven And the super of hlerecods ove every ‘Mer Rnd of materi forthe purposes of ecology appears with Farclr fore when we pss from the chraterisntion of sgl dts to {he deteninstion af facia for there Sano ser and move eiclut way of Ending among th Innoteable antecedents of sca bapening the re ‘use of tls appening than to asaya hepato he individual throug ‘howe agency thie happening occured. The devlopest of scape! {Tatton dang he pat fiftmn or twenty yeas pare the growing {epi whch under the presure of pte neds, i being pt upon {pec and sean empires pobiee ax oppored tote general spcdations (ibe pecceding ero, lento the ovine relaton tat we mus alec ‘bore complet ocloial documents than we posts. And the moe com- ‘lt eolgaldocsint becomes te more approaches fal personal Herecora ments " VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY Po ‘There are those who, while granting the importance ofthe per- onal document for diagnosls and treatment, seriously question te valu for the parpose of tclentfc generalization because of its subjective and non-quantitative character. While tis is in- ‘deed a limitation, nevertbeless it seems to be true that there are snany aspects of delinquency which are not, forthe present at feast, susceptible to treatment by formal statistical methods. ‘While quantitative mothods are applicable to wide range ofthe more formal aspects of delinquent conduct, some more discern- ing, though perhaps less exact, method is hecessary to disclose the underlying processes involved in the formation of delinquent behavior trends, Perhaps with the further refinement of such techniques a8 the questionnaire and personality rating scales, many aspects of delinquent behavior which we now study by ‘means of personal documents will be subject to more objective analysis We have employed various techniques to secure “own-story” ‘material in our case-studies of delinquents. Our immediate pur- pose in every case has been to procure a revesling and useful ‘document, and to employ any method which the exigencies of the caze demanded. Marked differences betwoen delinquents regard to attitudes, personality, education, and special abilities hhave made it necessary to vary our techniques in different eases. Teas felt thatthe story should be as spontaneous as possible and ‘always follow the natural sequence of events in the Ife of the de- Hnquent, By enabling the offender to tell or write his story act ‘cording to this natural sequence, we hoped tobe able to describe more accurately the natural process involved inthe development ‘of his delinquent-behavior trend and to develop a more empirical ‘method forthe study of delinquent careers "The technique which we have most frequently employed to secure the delinquent’s “own story” is that of the personal inter- view. The task of securing complete and useful documents by this technique wsually necessitates a series of interviews, which in some cages extend over a relatively long period of time. In22 A DELINQUENT BOY'S OWN STORY ‘most of our eases a stenographic record ofthe interview is made, fo that the story is recorded inthe exact language ofthe inter” viewee. Thus the record ofthe interview is not only complete, Dut its objectivity fs preserved. A translation of the story into ‘the language ofthe interviewer would, in most cate, greatly alter the original meaning. Tehas been possibie to secure in many of our cases rather de- talled and revealing written documents, particularly inthe cases ‘of older juvenile delinquents. Usually these documents present {8 more coherent and connected picture of the boy's life than ‘could be secured through a series of personal interviews. As In- dicated previously, these documents are always developed as an Integral part ofthe total ease history, so that, in the light of the information secured through personal interviews, official records, and clinical Bindings, the verbal responses of the boy might be properly identified and interpreted ‘The intial step in securing the written document has been to obtain usually by means of personal interviews, a list of the boy's behavior problems, delinquencies, arrests, court appearances, and commitments. These experiences were then arranged in the order oftheir occurrence and presented to the boy to be used as ‘guide in wrlting his “own story.” He was always instructed to tive a complete and detailed description of each experience, the Situation in which it occurred and the impression which i made ‘pon him. Tf the inftiat document was relatively meager, the boy was urged to make further elaboration, hie process of elaboration was continued until the story was made as complete as possible. ‘Ta many cases it was necessary to illustrate the kind of mate~ Hal desired In the life-story. These ilustrations, however, were ‘drawn from the boy's own life, having been previously obtained ‘through the inital personal interview. By this method the doc ‘ment was secured with a minimum of guidance and control on the pat of the investigator, and the story necessarily followed the natural sequence of events in the life ofthe boy. ‘This technique may be concretely ilustrated by a belef de- scription of the stept involved in securing the rather detalled VALUE OF BOY'S OWN STORY. 3 fechistory of Stanley, whose “own story” Is presented in the subsequent chapters of this volume. Our frst Interview with Stanley occurred when he was siteen years and eight months of age. Through that interview we secured a list of his behavior fifieultics, delinquencies, and commitments. These were at- ranged in chronological order and returned to him to be sed as ‘a gulde in writing his “own story.” He was instructed to give a ‘etalled description of each event, the situation in which it o©- ‘cured, and his personal reactions to the expetience. His fist ‘document was a brief account of his experiences upto that time.” ‘Our study of this case was interrupted by the boy's commit- ‘ment to the Chicago House of Correction. At the end ofthis com- ‘mitment the study of the case was continued. On resuming the Study, our fist interest was to secure a more complete written document. We pointed out to him that his ist story was an ex: cellent suramary of hs life, but lacked detailed descriptive mate- ‘al. Tn response to our suggestion that he write a more detailed ‘tory, the original document was increased to its present length, ‘which s approximately two hundred and fifty typewritten pages, [All of the suggestions and illustrations used to indicate the sort ‘of material desired were drawn {rom bis own experiences, ‘ru vga acme preted in Append