Review Essay: Changing Lawbreakers—What Have We Learned Since the 1950s?

During the 1950s and 1960s, considerable enthusiasm was voiced for treatment programs directed at delinquents and criminals. However, since 1970, the “nothing works” view became dominant and support for correctional treatment waned among the general public and many criminal justice workers. But, in recent years, a number of studies have indicated that some treatment programs have a positive impact on some offenders at least some of the time. Two volumes published in 1998 and reviewed in detail in this article offer considerable encouragement to advocates of the rehabilitative ideal.