A TOTAL OF 82 BOYS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A THREAPY GROUP OR A CONTROL GROUP AT AN OHIO STATE INSTITUTION FOR DELINQUENT BOYS. BOTH GROUPS WERE MATCHED AS NEARLY AS POSSIBLE FOR AGE, INTELLIGENCE, RACE, SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND, TYPE OF OFFENSE, NUMBER OF PREVIOUS OFFENSES, TOTAL TIME INCARCERATED DURING LIFE, AND NATURE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADJUSTMENT. THERE WERE 8 BLACKS AND 33 WHITES IN EACH GROUP, MOSTLY UPPER LOWER OR LOWER MIDDLE CLASS. THE MEAN AGE WAS 16.4 AND MEAN INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT 99.2. THE MOST TYPICAL OFFENSES WERE AUTO THEFT AND BREAKING AND ENTERING, BUT EACH GROUP HAD SEVERAL BOYS WHO HAD COMMITTED MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES. THE BOYS IN THE THERAPY GROUP WERE ASSIGNED TO 1 OF 6 COUNSELING GROUPS, WHICH HELD 40 GROUP SESSIONS. IN ADDITION, THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST CONDUCTED 20 INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS WITH EACH BOY. RECIDIVISM RATES AND EMPLOYMENT WERE USED TO MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS TREATMENT. AT THE TIME OF THIS FOLLOWUP BOTH THE THERAPY GROUP AND THE CONTROL GROUP HAD BEEN RELEASED INTO THE COMMUNITY FOR A MEAN OF 9.5 MONTHS. MANY HAD BEEN RELEASED 12 MONTHS OR MORE. IT WAS FOUND THAT 13 OF THE THERAPY GROUP, COMPARED TO 25 CONTROLS, HAD BEEN REINSTITUTIONALIZED. THERAPY RETURNEES HAD COMMITTED 1.94 OFFENSES, CONTROLS 3.07. THE THERAPY GROUP HAD 20 BOYS WITH RECORDED PAROLE VIOLATIONS COMPARED TO 32 IN THE CONTROL GROUP. AVERAGE NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS IN THE THERAPY GROUP WAS 1.75 COMPARED TO 3.91 AMONG CONTROLS. ALL OF THESE MEASURES WERE SIGNIFICANT AT THE 1 PERCENT LEVEL. IN ADDITION, 20 OF THE THERAPY GROUP WERE SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED, COMPARED TO 6 OF THE CONTROLS, AND TIME EMPLOYED WAS 6.2 MONTHS COMPARED TO 3.2 MONTHS. A BASE RATE FOR RECIDIVISM WAS THEN COMPUTED FOR THE INSTITUTION FOLLOWING TWO DIFFERENT PROCEDURES. THESE COMPUTATIONS ARE EXPLAINED. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CONTROL GROUP SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL RECIDIVISM RATE. DURING INCARCERATION THE PSYCHOTHERAPISTS EVALUATED THE SUCCESS OF THE THERAPY FOR EACH BOY; 30 OF THE 41 WERE CONSIDERED SUCCESSFULLY TREATED, AND ONLY 5 OF THESE WERE LATER REINSTITUTIONALIZED. PSYCHOTHERAPY IS NOT A REHABILITATIVE PANACEA. THERE WERE SOME NOTABLE THERAPY FAILURES, INCLUDING AN ARMED ROBBERY AND AN ARMED ROBBERY AND MURDER. HOWEVER, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT PSYCHOTHERAPY HELPED MOST OF THE BOYS REVERSE THEIR ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUALS. TABLES PRESENT STUDY DATA. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (GLR)