* * * * Homes for Delinquents An article in
this issue of The Spectator emphasises that in many cases juvenile delinquency is the result of unsatis- factory conditions in the home and in the family. If such is the cause, confinement even in a reformatory school may be a punishment unfitted to the crime and certainly inade- quate to effect a cure. It is worth quoting a comment from the British Medical Journal : " Prison is the worst possible thing for offenders of this kind," and the best thing is certainly to give the offender a new home, in an atmosphere that encourages the growth of responsibility and stability of character. The Home Secretary, .Sir Samuel Hoare, has once again shown his appreciation of the real problems of crime and punishment, in a circular issued by the Home Office this week. Local justices already have powers to place juvenile offenders in approved homes and lodgings, under the friendly supervision of probation officers; but so far they have been little used. The Government is now willing to make a grant to local authorities to defray, the cost of such treatment, and the Home Office expresses its desire that justices should use their powers as much as possible. It is hoped that, in new surroundings, the offender will quickly become self-supporting. The final decision in this question must rest with the local authorities ; but it should be easy to respond to the desire and the assistance which have come so opportunely from the Home Office.
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