Who is responsible for the delinquent adolescent? A psychiatric and Talmudic perspective.

The concept of the delinquent adolescent is reviewed in terms of definition, culpability, and rehabilitation in concert with psychiatric and Talmudic perspectives. Seven principles under Talmudic Law are discussed which were used by the Court to help determine whether or not an individual was in fact an incorrigible delinquent. The Talmudic concept has evolved that the delinquent child is a product of a disturbed family and a pathological environment. Aberrant behavior was always interpreted in a holistic fashion in the nomenclature of family dynamics. Talmudic tradition emphasizes the necessity to acquire means for reestablishing the intactness of a healthy family. When it is determined that this is not possible in the nuclear family, mandates are given society for placement elsewhere under the aegis of the Court.