Essay for Criminology A - L. Owen- 1968 - University of Melbourne Report on institutional visits. Institutions covered: Turana YTC Royal Park, Winlaton YTC Nunawading, Morning Star YTC Mornington. Plan of Report: Objectives, Description of Institutions, Evaluation, Conclusions (2000 words)
Within the framework of social welfare in Victoria and under the auspices of the Youth Welfare Division, Youth Training Centres exist to manage young persons aged between 15 and 17 years admitted under the care and protection provisions of the Children’s Welfare Act or committed for an indictable offence under the Children’s Court Act. They also manage young persons aged 17 to 21 who, at the discretion of the trial judge, can be committed to a youth training centre instead of prison (crimes act). Of the eight Youth Training Centres in Victoria only three were visited and they – Turana, Winlaton and Morning Star are the focus of this paper. It should also be noted the Youth Training Centres fit into a more complex youth welfare program covering elements of classification, institutional treatment and after-care in terms of supervision in some community setting, such as a hostel, private board, ‘’ live in” employment, or at home with parents.
An understanding of the objectives of the particular institutions is enhanced by some consideration of the philosophy of the Social Welfare Department in this area and also that of overseas institutions whose experience has been a contributing factor in the setting up of youth training centres in Victoria. The social welfare annual report 1961 p.31 states: “although one should not under-rate the punishment inherent in the deprivation of a young person’s liberty, the primary objective of the period of detention is rehabilitation. The teaching of acceptable social standards and community values, the establishment of good personal relationships between staff and trainees and their parents are now the excepted aims. Such aims are more difficult to achieve under maximum security conditions, hence they are accompanied by a trend to open institutions of various kinds”. Tappan (1960 p.650) quotes the British Home Office in relation to the Borstal system: “That young offenders ought not be sent to prison as long as that course can by any means be avoided is axiomatic. But a time comes for some of them when training under detention appears to be essential if they are not to drift into the ranks of the persistent offenders. The Borstal system was set up by part 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1908 to provide for such training. The object of the system is the all-round development of character and capacities – moral, mental, physical and vocational – with particular emphasis on the development of responsibility and self control, through trust increasing with progress. This conception requires conditions as unlike those of prison as is compatible with compulsory detention. Responsibility and self control are virtues which can only be attained by practising them, and they cannot be practised without opportunity for self-determination appropriate to the stage of development reached. The system must also be elastic, to provide methods of training and conditions suitable to different types of character and stages of development”.
With these general criteria in mind the objectives of the particular institutions visited can be considered. Primary objectives do not seem to be clearly enunciated by the institutions themselves, but all three seem to come down to the fact that their efforts are directed at changing antisocial behaviour or the tendency toward it to behaviour acceptable to the community. At Turana it was stated that “One of the aims is to fit a boy for mature and responsible citizenship”. At Winlaton it was felt that success might be measured in terms of those who don’t come back. At Morning Star changing behaviour by conforming to set standards was thought to be a rule.
TURANA: performs many functions catering for about 300 boys. These include, however, about 60 family welfare (10–14) who will soon be included in the new family welfare reception centre Baltara, and about 30 boys in remand for court appearance. There is also a classification centre which holds boys in two groups (aged 14–17) (aged 17–21) following court appearance for 3–4 weeks while behaviour is observed and testing, medical educational and psychological takes place, after which the former group are classified by a committee to Bayswater YTC (Protestant) Morning Star (catholic) or Turana and the latter to Langi Kal Kal or Malmsbury for training. Those classified to Turana are placed in sections according to particular requirements Poplar House (maximum security) holds about 20 disturbed your community risk boys. Quamby (medium security) holds about 60 mainly state wards and Red, Blue, Green Gables and Sunnyside (open sections) holding about 20 each. Within the system some graduations from security sections to open the sections often takes place and there is also Poplar Cottage catering for 10 trust boys and Waratah which usually caters for the few 17 to 21-year-old age group kept at Turana for specific purposes such as very short terms, or psychiatric attention.
WINLATON: Caters usually for 60 girls with maximum numbers reaching 120. Girls are placed in the sections mainly according to behaviour and type of offence. There is a remand centre Winbirra and an open type hostel for trust first offenders, whilst the main institution has three sections Goonyah (maximum security), Warrina which caters for behaviour problems from Karingal and which houses 29. Most girls come to Winlaton under protection orders usually “exposed to moral danger”. It is of interest to note that each of the sections was built to house 15, but this capacity is usually exceeded.
MORNING STAR YTC: caters for about 45 14–17-year-old Catholic boys. Run by four priests and two brothers with other staff, in a farm setting, all boys passed through a merit system which determines their physical surroundings referred to as the “bottom corridor”, “the dormitory”, and “the upper corridor”. Each improving in facilities respectively.
Each institution places considerable emphasis on education and the acquisition of occupational skills. All experience considerable educational retardation amongst trainees and remedial education is a feature along with general education to 3rd form or intermediate and junior technical levels with the assistance of correspondence courses. Much of this seems to be left the general resourcefulness of the teachers involved all of whom have normal training and usually some experience, however, the question could be raised concerning the availability of specialised techniques which could form part of an additional special training for staff of this type. Other training varies with the institution. At Turana trade training takes place in groups of about 12 trainees under a qualified trade instructor in areas of bricklaying, carpentry, sheet-metal, painting, motor mechanics and gardening. Here it seems to have a positive aspect, although some difficulty has been” experienced in obtaining and maintaining instructors. At present there is a full staff and the future of the trade school as a real basis for skills, rather than a means of keeping trainees occupied, looks fairly bright. Winlaton conducts classes in various domestic Arts and crafts, here there seems to be some sense of them being used more as an interest version rather than the implanting of useful skills although this letter aspect is not absent. Until recently girls spent six weeks working in a particular area, but as they seemed to become bored they now move from one to the other at half day intervals. Morning Star morning star has “work” which includes a garden “gang”, workshop and various farm duties. All boys begin in the garden gang and it would seem that that hard work is included in the institution’s philosophy is having both therapeutic value and as an aid to discipline. The acquisition of specific skills seems secondary, but again not altogether absent.
All three institutions give importance to the provision of a stable friendly background as a setting for their work. At Turana care and concern is emphasised particularly by executive staff, at Winlaton, it seems a bit overshadowed by a custodial role although these attributes in staff such as social workers and chaplains are emphasised whilst at Morning Star, it would seem that friendliness also increases with improvement in behaviour. So much of this aspect, however, rests with the individual staff member in relation to the trainees, hence great diversity takes place within each institution for instance at Morning Star although the system seems harsh the staff with whom the writer has had contact do not seen particularly disposed towards unkindliness and they speak of forming close relationships with the boys. In regard to operative features of most importance, Turana leans toward the diagnostic role of understanding the problems of the particular trainees then using the elements available to treat them. Diagnosis as well as some treatment comes from assignment of each trainee to a particular officer, usually responsible for five and it is his function to report regularly on behaviour and any other signs listed on pro forma sheets with room for additional comment. All boys are psychologically and educationally tested but only selected boys are able to use the services of the one full-time psychiatrist. This is due purely to demand and at present (August) a routine referral cannot be handled by the psychiatrist before November. At Winlaton some degree of contentment seems to exist with a regime of all-round care in the physical and into interest generating sense, serious problems eventually graduating to Fairlea women’s prison. This does not mean that efforts at diagnosis and treatment are non-existent as each girl is allotted to a social worker on arrival and two psychiatrists from the children’s court clinic attend regularly for diagnostic and group therapy sessions, it would seem, however, that caseloads and time available fall far short of excepted optimum levels. Morning Star places great emphasis on the operation of the merit system where boys gain or lose points for behaviour and conformity to standards of cooperation set for them. These points regulate access to or deprivation from such things as canteen allowance, TV, library, leave etc as well as the previously mentioned physical surroundings. The system does not bend and boys have spent as long as 18 months on the bottom corridor eventually conforming or absconding.
It would seem that more could be done to improve the trainees’ understanding of themselves, other people and the community’s expectations. Such elements as group therapy, group discussion and greater contact with members of the community could help here. Some of this does occur, at Turana, guided group interaction is conducted by the superintendent and his deputy, but at this stage the availability of the skills management these techniques require, does not cover the potential field, group discussion on certain issues does take place and is felt to perform a useful function. Club activities with outside volunteer assistance occurs weekly and dances are held from time to time. Winlaton, in addition to the group therapy previously mentioned has sport in groups engaged in the community competitions and visits outside of topical interest and girls can attend local churches and be entertained by volunteers. The superintendent is anxious to institute a club program. Morning Star has sporting teams and some outside visits but the group work is limited to the work groups with a staff members to discuss problems, any skilled assistance, however, is obtained through Turana (i.e. psychiatric services etc). Another aspect which seriously affects the understanding of the trainees is that of investigation of the family situation and community environment and also at a treatment level, attempts to adjust their family or environmental problems. Such endeavours at all places seem in their infancy. At Turana monthly parents meetings are held in sections, at Winlaton social workers are expected to make home visits, at Morning Star a priest spends two nights each week visiting families. Such attention is allied also to after-care in many instances and both aspects suffer from similar problems such as excessive caseloads on social, probation and after care workers. There is a tendency at all three institutions to attribute recidivism to inadequate after-care facilities and it is inescapable that this may at least be partly true. However, this as with all the programs suffers from a decided lack of evaluation techniques, research and recording facilities and most evaluations are subjective only fraught with their inherent inadequacy, uncertainty and unreliability. Measures of success are claimed for all program aspects mentioned, but many failures are also acknowledged.
At this stage close custodial care seems to be the response to extremely difficult cases, repeated recidivism and gross emotional disturbance. One can evoke guarded guesses only when questions are posed such as the recidivist rate. At Turana such a guess was 40%, at Winlaton success (in terms of girls who do not return) seems fairly high, at Morning Star perhaps 85% come back into care there or at other institutions. It is obvious that these comments show nothing much more than a lack of research and statistics. There is no doubt, however, that many do return and Reception Centres such as Turana and Winlaton are constantly required to operate an emergency service. Although much more could be said, the length of this paper must lead us to conclude by drawing attention to the need for better methods of staff recruitment, selection and training, a need for more diagnostic facilities, the need for greater diversity of treatment techniques and facilities thus allowing more detailed classification, need for more experimentation, research, recording and statistical collation. These things must of necessity go with a study of the community and closer involvement between community and those concerned with institutions. The final and obviously poignant factor in Victoria is the need for closer cooperation and liaison between government, departmental, voluntary agencies, research bodies such as universities and the major business and social groups within the community. An improvement in this level of understanding might have positive value toward the understanding between the delinquent and his alien community.
Bibliography : Johnston S.W. & Fox R. Correction Handbook of Victoria – 1965 Tierney L. Children Who Need Help – M U P 1963 Tappan P W Crime Justice and Correction McGraw Hill – 1960 Giallombardo R Ed. Juvenile Delinquency A Book of Readings. Wileyt NY Lond – 1966 Victoria Childrens Court Act 1958 SS 28-30 “ Childrens Welfare Act 1958 SS 16,19 “ Social Welfare Department Report – 1961 “ Social Welfare Department Report -1965 - 1966