THE CONVENTIONAL ONE-TO-ONE INTERACTION BETWEEN PROBATIONER AND PROBATION OFFICER NEGLECTS THE DELINQUENT'S POSITION AS PART OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM WITH ITS OWN RULES AND FUNCTIONS--THE FAMILY. RECENT RESEARCH FROM SEVERAL INDUSTRIAL NATIONS INDICATES THAT THE RISE IN CRIME (ESPECIALLY, IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY) CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE LACK OF HUMAN INTERRELATIONS AND SPECIFICALLY TO THE COLLAPSE OF TRADITIONAL FAMILY TIES. THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY THERAPY IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT A STABLE AND CLOSE FAMILY REPRESENTS THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT RECIDIVISM. THE FAMILY-ORIENTED APPROACH ATTRIBUTES DISRUPTIONS IN FAMILY LIFE NOT TO ONE PARTICULAR MEMBER (E.G., THE PROBATIONER), BUT CONSIDERS ALL TRANSACTIONS AND INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE FAMILY SYSTEM. THERE ARE THREE BASIC APPROACHES TO FAMILY THERAPY: (1) A PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACH, (2) A STRUCTURAL APPROACH (INCLUDING COMMUNICATION-CENTERED EFFORTS), AND (3) A BEHAVIORAL APPROACH. ALL THREE CONCEPTS ARE BASED ON EMPIRICAL RESEARCH INDICATING THAT MANY PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTURBANCES ORIGINATE IN PATHOLOGICAL FORMS OF COMMUNICATION IN THE FAMILY. IN THE 'DOUBLE-BIND' SITUATION, FOR INSTANCE, A FAMILY MEMBER COMMUNICATES CONFLICTING MESSAGES TO THE TARGET PERSON; IN A WEST GERMAN CASE, A FATHER VERBALLY REPROACHED HIS SON FOR HIS DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR WHILE AT THE SAME TIME INVOLUNTARILY SHOWING ADMIRATION THROUGH NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR. FAMILY THERAPY IS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE IN PROBATION ASSISTANCE IF PROBATION OFFICERS RECEIVE THE NECESSARY TRAINING (ADDITIONAL COGNITIVE ABILITIES AND TECHNIQUES OF SYSTEMS-ORIENTED DECISIONMAKING). THE ARTICLE INCLUDES REFERENCES. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)