The police officers categorized the outcomes as 117 successes and 113 failures. The cases in which police failed to deter the juveniles from delinquent behavior seemed to be characterized by highly distressful life events and a longer period of problematic behavior. While counselors worked in essentially the same way in all cases, when they failed to help the parents and children change their behaviors and attitudes, the children were more likely to engage in delinquent activities. The counselors tried to establish relationships of trust with the parents and children, to bolster the children's self-esteem, to improve parent-child relationships, and to help the children find positive objectives to strive for. Successful counseling cases were marked by improved parent-child relationships. 12 tables