ABSTRACT
T h e court clinic exercises an often decisive influence on the ulti-
mate outcome of the court processing of delinquency cases. De-
rived largely from the professional competence of clinic psychia-
trists, this influence is reflected in the consideration given psychi-
atric diagnoses and recommendations, and in the preference
afforded psychiatric therapy in the court's treatment schema. T h i s
chapter describes the functions of psychiatry within the court,
emphasizing the modification of conventional psychiatric practice
resulting from accommodation to pressures of the court setting. I t
will then consider the ramifications for the clinic's handling of
delinquency cases. Here, as in probation, several of the solutions
available to delinquents confronted by the conflicting implica-
tions of "help" and control tend to create and perpetuate discred-
ited versions of moral character.
