ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author describes the Borough of Wolverhampton, the prevailing structure of the social services department at the time of the study and the operation of the local juvenile justice system. He outlines the research methodology employed in the quantitative and qualitative components of the study before presenting the findings. The Metropolitan Borough of Wolverhampton comprises three towns - Wolverhampton, Bilston and Wednesfield - with a population of 242,190. Wolverhampton is situated at the north-west edge of a conurbation which extends virtually unbroken in a south-easterly direction as far as Coventry, 36 miles away. In Wolverhampton, the plan was produced in 1972 and was the basis for the development of service delivery in the borough. The Adolescent Services Team, comprising the Juvenile Court Liaison Section, the Juvenile Justice Team and Girls’ and Young Women’s Worker, had responsibility for servicing the juvenile justice system in Wolverhampton.
