Another disturbing trend was the increase of high-school dropouts. It was estimated that by the late 1960s over 7.5 million students had left school, most by age sixteen. With the increasing automation of industry there were concerns that these unskilled youths would be incapable of finding employment sufficient to support themselves, thus creating a rootless segment of society relying upon the state for support and with a greater likelihood of engaging in criminal activities. To many observers this prediction was borne out by the increased use of drugs ranging from marijuana to LSD to heroin which prevailed in the decade.

Winds of Change.

Crime, drug use, and general antisocial behavior by young people were not new in and of themselves. What made juvenile delinquency in the 1960s different was the confluence of two trends, one demographic and the other social, which amplified the normal...