In Praise of Quest
QUEST is a must read for everyone concerned with youth corrections
programs. It chronicles the rise and fall of the California Youth
Authority, and tells of those who strove to make better a vital
social system in a fatally politicized government structure. The
author combines historical details about evolving corrections'
theory, research, strategic events and most important the people,
delivered with the spot-on wit of an accomplished storyteller. Set
during several of the most turbulent decades in our nation's
history, he describes how the youth corrections system works, or
not, from the bottom up, and concludes his exposition with a series
of insightful propositions for citizens, correctional
administrators, and politicians wanting to avoid repeating past
mistakes. Dale R. Brown, PhD, Colonel (ret), U.S. Army
QUEST is the history of the California Youth Authority and the
career of the author from 1941 -1976, from trainee to deputy
director. The story he shares is about the strong and interesting
people he met along the way, individuals, and leaders, who took an
abstract idea about administering a program for troubled youth and
its subsequent development into a premier youth correctional agency
recognized and admired nationally and internationally. Having
worked with him during the "Golden Years," I can assure the reader
that his unique writing style lets you share the Quest in triumph
and failure. It is an important book for anyone interested in
improving the administration of criminal and juvenile justice.
Ronald W. Hayes, Deputy Director (ret), California Youth
Authority
QUEST is graphic review by an insider of the "rise and fall" of
the California Youth Authority. From its beginning, the Youth
Authority was recognized, nationally and internationally, for the
extensive innovative, progressive programs for youthful offenders.
Smith's recollections of this period offer valuable personal
insights into its growth and equally valuable observations as to
why the agency would later experience a downward spiral to
extinction. It is well written and documented, and a major
contribution to corrections, criminology, and an informed public.
Robert E Keldgord, Chief Probation Officer, Sacramento (ret),
Criminologist
General
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