An Assessment of the Cognitive Ability and the Attitude to Rehabilitation of European and Maori Trainees at a Borstal Institution.

Abstract

The incidence of delinquency in New Zealand has risen and is a cause for serious concern for the future of the nation. "As in all fields of social inquiry it is much easier to specify the problem than it is to account for its occurrence ... In the case of delinquency, it is much easier to record what has occurred as opposed to why - it is even more difficult to prevent delinquency from occurring at all. Why should this be so?" (Blizard, 1967, p.i.) There are no easy answers: there are no short cuts to understanding: there will never be an easily worked out, or easily administered programme for prevention. The road is hard, costly both in terms of men, money and time.