ABSTRACT
It is rare nowadays for a child to be referred to child and family mental health services simply for delinquency – unlike the experience in the pioneer days of Child Guidance and when the Portman Clinic was established in London in the 1930s. This seems due to changes in what concerns the environment outside. Sexually abusive adolescents form the bulk of referrals to specialist clinics, with those who download child pornography from the internet a growing category. However, there is a not insignificant number whom one finds are, in addition to the presenting problem, highly delinquent into the bargain. Three patients come to mind.
