Hamil, Brenton M.

Stitt, Howard M., Jr.

English

Henry Ford Health System Scholarly Commons

Henry Ford Hospital Medical JournalVolume 11 | Number 1 Article 43-1963Prevention Of Delinquency By The EarlyRecognition Of Behavioral Difficulties: DetroitSchool-community Behavior ProjectBrenton M. HamilHoward M. Stitt Jr.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournalPart of the Life Sciences Commons, Medical Specialties Commons, and the Public HealthCommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Henry Ford Health System Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in HenryFord Hospital Medical Journal by an authorized editor of Henry Ford Health System Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contactacabrer4@hfhs.org.Recommended CitationHamil, Brenton M. and Stitt, Howard M. Jr. (1963) "Prevention Of Delinquency By The Early Recognition Of Behavioral Difficulties:Detroit School-community Behavior Project," Henry Ford Hospital Medical Bulletin : Vol. 11 : No. 1 , 53-57.Available at: https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournal/vol11/iss1/4Vol. 11, March, 1963 Henry Ford Hosp. Med. Bull. PREVENTION OF DELINQUENCY BY THE EARLY RECOGNITION OF BEHAVIORAL DIFFICULTIES DETROIT SCHOOL-COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR PROJECT* BRENTON M . H A M I L , M.D. AND HOWARD M . STITT, JR., M.ED.*"** T H E INTENTION OF this project as conceived in 1953' was to help children who had been deprived of the basic needs for developing social behavior which was conducive to the requirements for good citizenship. These children had to be identified from the mass of child population in the community. It was appreciated that physical develop-ment, mental, emotional, social and spiritual development are all aspects of growth which are inter-related and inter-dependent. It was evident that greater community concern must be demonstrated for children at early ages if the increasing trend for juvenile delinquencies was to be arrested. The identification of those children needing help toward socially desirable behavior which will produce a good citizenry can only be accomplished through access to all children. The identification of young children with vulnerability or tendencies toward problem behavior can most effectively be done in the first years in school. The schools must help these emotionally disturbed children early. This must be accomplished as a process rather than an act whereby the teacher as well as other participating representatives are favorably affected. The purpose and problems to be dealt with may be stated as to discover or invent better means for alleviating causes of delinquent behavior; to identify at an early age those children who are vulnerable to forces conducive to delinquency; to find ways of improving existing services of social work, health, recreational, educational agencies and other community resources potentially effective in reducing the vulnerability. The guiding principles are that methods used must fit the neighborhood school com-munity situation and be acceptable to the participating school staff; that methods used ,1: *Formerly, The Detroit School and Community Pilot Project for reducing delinquent behavior. This material is a partial summation of paper and data presented at the 90th annual meeting of the American Public Health Association October 15-19, 1962. Maternal and Child Health, School Health and Food and Nutrition Sections. Brenton M. Hamil, M.D., Associate Physician, Pediatric Department, Henry Ford Hospital; W.C.M.S. member representative on Project Steering Committee. Howard M. Stitt, Jr., M.Ed., Detroit Public Schools, Administrative Assistant, Director School Community Behavior Project. 53 Chart 1 The Detroit School-Community Behavior Project STRUCTURE Beard of Education Superintendent Assistan Superint b sndent Ccmmission on Children and Touth Steering CoiicLittee Pro D i r ject 3Ctor ALGER 1956 liNGSLL 1962 ANN ARBOR TRAIL 1962 ilTKINSOH 1959 BERRT 1957 Executive Secretary Procedures Committee Sub-Committees EDMONSON I960 FRANKLIN 1961 GOMPERS 1961 HANNEMAN 1957 HARDING 1959 NICHOLS 1962 RUTHRUF? 1962 s -SAJJIPSON 1956 SHEHRILL 1961 HAMILTON 1959 NOBLE I960 SHURLY 1962 Chart I I DETROIT SCHOOL-COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR PROJECT Brightmoor CGiTii.iunity Center •JI Wayne State u. Dept. of Psychiatry Wayne State U. Pre-Educatic n Students Franklin Settlement M e r r i l l -Palmer I n s t i t u t e Neighborhood Service Organization ACTION TEM'I Assis. Principal Group Therapist Chairman iurse i i t t . O f f i c e r Principal Catholic Social Ser. Ex-officio member Caseworker Psychologist Consulting Secretary Pediatrician Teachers Consulting University Students Psychiatrist V i s i t i n g Teacher Family Service Caseworker Co.nmission on Children and Youth Family Service Society V/ayne County Medical Society Maternal, Child and School Health Division Dept. of Health Sophie Wright Settletient Y.M.C.ix. Catholic Social Services Other Social Agencies 3: '< Z < o t l fn > to c: > HAMIL AND STITT should be kept relatively simple and adaptable to school situations; that methods pro-posed must be realistic in demands on peoples' time. It has been repeatedly emphasized that the aim of the study is to help children rather than to collect statistical data. The study was started in two Detroit schools—the Poe and Burton schools. As shown in Chart I , other schools were added to the project as voluntary interest in the program spread throughout the school teaching personnel and as available workers would permit. Chart I I represents the structure of the framework for the project. The assistant principal of the school is the chairman of each team. Approximately 800 children have been helped by "action teams" through the enlisted help of 80 resource agencies in the community. During the last school year these 80 resource agencies contributed 1160 special services to this project. Table I presents significant data from the consolidated report. The total enrollment in the 19 schools cooperating was 19,267. This represents the number of children from which the candidates showing deviate behavior were selected by the classroom teachers to have appraisal of behavior as the first step toward improvement. The school groups as shown in Table I demon-strate a total average of all improved grades of 62 percent. The average improvement in scholarship was 61 percent, that in effort was 68 percent, and in citizenship and behavior, the main concerns of the project, showed the greatest change of 84 percent. Out of the total enrollment of 19,267, one hundred and ninety one pupils were selected for special consideration. These data show the average age of the children studied, the sex distribution and the grade placement to be similar to that of previous years.^ -'-Table I CONSOLIDATED STATISTICAL REPORT THE DETROIT SCHOOL-COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR PROJECT JULY I , 1961 to JULY 1, 1962 * * * * * * * * * * * * TOTAL NUMBER CASES HANDLED BY ACTION TEAMS 191 19 SCHOOLS (16 SCHOOLS FOR YEAR; 3 FOR ONE SEMESTER) — TOTAL ENROLLMENT ACTION TEAM SCHOOLS 19,267 AVERAGE NO. CASES PER TEAM PER YEAR i l . 1 TOTAL NO. OF CASES BY SEX . . . . MALE JT3 . . FEMALE 18 AVERAGE GRADE LEVEL OF ACTION TEAM CASES 3A AVERAGE AGE OF CHILDREN 8.g YEARS SPECIAL SERVICES UTILIZED U60 AVERAGE OF SPECIAL SERVICES PER CHILD 6.1 IMPROVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP - 61% EFFORT - 68% BEHAVIOR(CITIZENSHIP) - 84% TOTAL AVERAGE OF ALL IMPROVED GRADES 62% 56 HAMIL AND STITT However, the average number of cases per team per year and the percentage of improve-ment of cases studied are significantly higher. This suggests improvement of techniques and efficiency of operation. Much interest has been directed toward help for emotionally disturbed children of the Detroit area. The Detroit Commission on Children and Youth^ established that * the minimum number of children of Wayne County requiring treatment was in excess of 10,000 per year. The number of mentally disturbed children in the United States requiring treatment in the prepubertal years was estimated by the United States f Senate Sub-Committee on Juvenile Delinquency to be 5 percent, and for the adolescent years 10 percent. The number of children under age 18 in Detroit in 1959 was 420,030, of these 165,000 were between the ages of 5-9 years. These are similar to data for 1956.' Five percent of this number would closely indicate those requiring behavioral treatment or 8,250 in the age group of 5-9, which numbered 165,000 in all Detroit schools. The estimated cost to the community in individual time-hour values is approxi-mately $82,000.00 per year, most of which is volunteered. The school budget appropria-tion is approximately $20,000.00. Our group of 191 children, then, represents a significant number to be protected at a reasonable cost from a greater need of treatment facilities at much greater expense later on in adolescence. An observational consideration' appears to have indicated that teachers' attitudes toward problem children changed as a result of participation in this type of study and that other children improved in their school relationships as a result of the changed attitudes of these teachers. This is significant and most probably reflects the action team and behavior project Steering Committee philosophy of cooperative effort to unravel and solve individual problems. REFERENCES 1. Mayor's Committee on Children and Youth in Detroit. Coordinating Sub-Committee on Services: A Tentative Proposal of a Pilot Project, Detroit, Michigan, June 1953, p. 1. 2. Hamil, B. M., and Stitt, H. M., Jr.: The Detroit School-Community Behavior Project, J. Michigan M. Soc. 61:1119, 1962. 3. Sdtt, H. M., Jr.: The Detroit School-Community Behavior Project, Tri-Stater Magazine. April 1962, p. 6-7. 4. City of Detroit Commission on Children and Youth: The Need for More Adequate Clinic Service in Detroit, January 2, 1957. 5. America's Children. Stadsdcal Bull., Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., 37:1, August, 1956. 6. Stitt, M.: Teacher Attitudes and the Detroit School-Community Behavior Project, Research Paper, University of Michigan, Department of Educational Sociology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, January 1962. 57 

Prevention Of Delinquency By The Early Recognition Of Behavioral Difficulties: Detroit School-community Behavior Project

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Prevention Of Delinquency By The Early Recognition Of Behavioral Difficulties: Detroit School-community Behavior Project

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