WRITTEN FROM A SOCIOLOGIST'S PERSPECTIVE, THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE CORRECTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF JUVENILE FACILITIES FOR MALE JUVENILE OFFENDERS. IT ARGUES THAT INITIAL DETENTION REPRESENTS A BOY'S INITIATION INTO THE CRIMINAL WORLD INSTEAD OF THE BEGINNING OF REHABILITATION AND THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS. FOUR JUVENILE FACILITIES WERE CHOSEN FOR A STUDY ON THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF DETENTION AND TREATMENT JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL PHILOSOPHIES. TWO WERE CUSTODY-ORIENTED AND TWO LEANED IN THE DIRECTION OF SOCIALIZATION GOALS. SIXTY BOYS WERE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT, 34 FROM CUSTODY INSTITUTIONS AND 26 FROM SOCIALIZATION FACILITIES. SURVEY FINDINGS APPEAR TO WARRANT THE STUDY'S CONCLUSIONS THAT A CUSTODY ORIENTATION IS IN CONFLICT WITH REHABILITATION GOALS. DESPITE THE WIDELY-ADVERTISED CORRECTIONAL INNOVATIONS FOR JUVENILES, AND THE REHABILITATION RHETORIC, IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND SOCIALIZATION-ORIENTED JUVENILE FACILITIES IN FLORIDA, A STATE RECOGNIZED FOR ITS HIGH CORRECTIONAL STANDARDS. OTHER FINDINGS INCLUDED THE FACT THAT DETENTION IS MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL FOR HIGHLY DELINQUENT-ORIENTED BOYS; THE INTERACTION BETWEEN INSTITUTION AND PERSONALITY VARIABLES ACCOUNTED FOR THE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES IN BOYS' RESPONSIVENESS; NONE OF THE INSTITUTIONS SURVEYED HAD ANY PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY INTENDED FOR THE JUVENILE SEGMENT OF THEIR POPULATION. TWENTY REFERENCES ARE APPENDED.