Plot

Attitudes to and treatment of juvenile delinquency in Scotland.
Wartime conditions and poor homes are responsible for much juvenile delinquency in Scotland. The films tells the story of Alec, Duncan and Robbie, three Edinburgh boys who break into a pawnbroker's shop and take money from the till and are caught by the police. We see their environment: slums, warehouses, factories, tenements etc. Homes are poor and overcrowded. Alec, the ring leader, lives with his unemployed father and apathetic mother in a slum room. Duncan's home is pleasant, but his mother has to struggle alone to maintain it while her husband is away in the forces. After school and at the weekends, there is nowhere, except the streets, where children can play.
In the juvenile court, each child is dealt with seperately according to his particular need. The case of Robbie, the youngest, whose trouble is attri- buted to his squint, is held open while he attends a child guidance clinic. Duncan, aged 13, is to be visited at regular intervals by the probation officer, and Alec, a second offender, is sent to an approved school. At the child guidance clinic, Robbie is tested by an educational psychologist to discover his mental age. Meanwhile, the psychiatric social worker talks with his mother. Next, Robbie sees the medical psychologist. He is shown to be above average intelligence; it is thought that he feels alone and unwanted. Duncan is visited by the probation officer and urged to join a youth club. Alec is driven to an approval school and introduced to life there-lessons, handcrafts, cookery, farming, physical training, felling trees etc.
What help can be given for the remaining three quarters of a million children in Scotland? Schools are very overcrowded; homes are poor. There are some play centres for small children and some youth organisations and clubs (activities shown) - but more are needed. Children urgently need space to use up their energy and imagination (shots of hand work, puppet shows, open air sports, ballroom dancing etc.) The provision of this is the responsibility of local authorities.

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