AS PART OF AN INITIALLY MORE COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT EXAMINING THE EFFECTIVENSS OF CLINICAL CRIMINOLOGY, THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH STAGES WERE ACTUALLY CARRIED OUT: (1) A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF 400 RECORDS OF JUVENILE PATIENTS TREATED AT THE CENTER BETWEEN 1968 AND 1973, WHICH PROVIDED INFORMATION ON THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CNETER, (2) A CLOSE STUDY OF 18 FULL AND 56 PARTIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTS WHICH REVEALED THE TREATMENT METHOD OF THE PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL, (3) A QUESTIONNAIRE SUBMITTED TO THAT PERSONNEL, (4) STUDIES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF JUVENILES TREATED AT THE CENTER, AND (5) A STRUCTURAL INTERPRETATION OF THE RELATION BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE AT THE CENTER. RESULTS WERE OBTAINED ON THE LEVELS OF FUNCTIONAL SERVICE AND OF CLINICAL PRACTICE. WITH REGART TO THE FORMER, A DISPARITY WAS DISCOVERED BETWEEN THE THEORETICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE INSTITUTION AND ITS ACTUAL WORK. ALTHOUGH ACCORDING TO THE STATUTES THE CENTER, WAS SUPPOSED TO TREAT SERIOUSLY DISTURBED JUVENILES WITH SEVERE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, IT ACTUALLY DEALT WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF SCHOOL AND DOMESTIC PROBLEMS AND SO ASSUMED AN ADDITIONAL FUNCTION--THAT OF PARENTAL GUIDANCE. ON THE TREATMENT LEVEL, PSYCHOLOGISTS PROVIDED MORE EXTENSIVE REPORTS THAN PSYCHIATRISTS; THEY INCLUDED MORE INTERPRETIVE MATERIAL IN THEIR REPORTS AND WERE MORE LIKELY TO REFER TO SPECIFIC PERSONALITY TRAITS AND ATTITUDES. THE MOST STRIKING RESULT WAS THE WORDING OF THE REPORTS. ON THE WHOLE, THE PRACTICIANS' OBJECTIVES IN WRITING THESE REPORTS SEEMED TO BE SELF-EXPRESSION RATHER THAN COMMUNICATION. THE ARTICLE CONTAINS NO BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION. --IN FRENCH. (SAJ)