THE HOUSE OF REFUGE MOVEMENT: HUMANITARIAN GESTURE OR SIMPLE EXPLOITATION?

The 1800s marked the early development of a new approach to child welfare in the United States. Beginning with the house of refuge movement (1820s) and culminating with the creation of the juvenile court (1899), this developmental period has been traditionally praised as an age of humanitarian reform. Sociological research has suggested, however, that the creation of the juvenile court served mainly as a new form of social control designed to protect the power and privilege of the middle and upper classes while furthering the exploitation of the lower class. Unfortunately this research has treated only the reforms of the middle to late I 800s. The present study seeks to contribute to this literature by illuminating the early reforms. More specifically, an examination of the New York, Boston, and Philadelphia houses of refuge reveals that the exploitation thesis provides a more complete explanation of the emergence of these houses than does the humanitarian position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]