The impact of the peer culture in the residential treatment of youth.

In most residential treatment centers (RTC's), the prevailing practice is to place about 15 emotionally disturbed and/or delinquent youth together in a group living unit. Typically, two daytime child care counselors supervise each living unit. In this type of group living environment, youngsters inevitably have much more social interaction with each other than with adults. What effect does this extended exposure to a large number of socially deviant peers have on a child? Is the RTC peer culture predominantly prosocial or anti-social? What can staff do to minimize or augment the social influence of the peer group? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this article.