Abstract
The delinquency rates for white boys in three areas of Louisville, Kentucky, were compared for the period 1944-1954. These areas were selected because they were similar in certain ecological characteristics. The delinquency rates decreased steadily over an eight-year period in the area where there was a Boys' Club. The delinquency rates in the two other areas with no youth-serving agencies increased over the same period of time. Some discussion is devoted to the limited nature of any conclusions that can be derived from a statistical study of this type in which several factors can not be controlled. The study indicates that the Boys' Club was probably one important factor in the decline in delinquency in an area of a city where delinquency was increasing in other sections.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.