another job for the police and the court johnny marvin is now in the hands of the law this is the first time he's been caught but he's delinquent tendencies began long before in the conflicts of an unhappy home drunks and criminals then in the morning paraded in the police lineup will be fingerprinted photographed given a permanent criminal record at fifteen will sentenced by a judge who knows nothing of the background of johnny's family or the reasons behind his behavior will grow up in reformatories and prisons to overcome a bitter and seasoned criminal johnny and two hundred thousand other youngsters who are arrested each year for america's number one crime problem can't something be done to help these twisted young lives and set them straight yes something can be done something is being done many communities believe that good juvenile court with well organized probation service can make good citizens out of wayward youth fortunately johnny lives in a community which has such a court after his arrest he does not go to a jail to mingle with adult offenders instead he has taken to a detention home which the community maintains especially for children areas placed in the care of a house mother and father who have been trained in this work kindly but firmly they proceed to make him comfortable in spite of himself is given a bath and a pair of he has a good night's rest in a comfortable the next morning after nourishing breakfast he's ready for a visit to the chief probation officer who handles incoming cases at the juvenile court haltingly johnny tells his story the officer listens attentively and ask questions to bring out all the details then the sends him back to the detention home for a few days and assigns a probation officer to investigate his background why does johnny behave as he does it is probation officer benton job to find out first he makes a trip to johnny's neighborhood a visit to johnny's world of squalid homes dirt fusion here in the rear of the house typical of the neighborhood where the mob and lives benton finds mrs marven and has a long talk with her to learn that johnny father is dead that she earns a little each week as a cleaning woman and finds the task of raising a family too much for the boy was fond of his father but he rebels against his tired nagging mother who finds it impossible to control  he stays out late prefers the gang the home benton investigates the gang because he's concerned about these boys too but he finds them suspicious and distrustful unwilling to tell him anything about johnny  psychological tests reveal johnny's special aptitudes as well as some of the probable reasons for the school failures the probation officer that has to persuade johnny him self to talk meet with some degree of success he readily admits all the facts of his offense but he still distrustful of any efforts to help him then danny goes before the judge in a good juvenile court this is not a trial but a quiet hearing conducted in the small room only johnnie his mother and the probation officer present the judge's study to the reports of the patient officer the doctor and the psychologist and after talking with johnnie mrs marven and mr benton he being set away so i'm going to put you on probation mr benton will be your friend and supervisor we are going to help you all we feelings about himself the same time he begins to win the boys respect and friendship he must find a way to change johnny's attitude to make him want to do the things which will bring him greater satisfaction than he is found in misbehaving benton has a talk with johnny's mother helped her to understand the needs of an adolescent boy he asked the welfare agency to get financial help and assist mrs marven in making the home more attractive for children him to go to church again sometimes i made it johnny's home where is willingness to help his mother is evidence of a new sense of responsibility discovering the johnnies greatest interested airplanes arranges with a friend of theirs it was a pilot to have johnny meet him at the flying field it was a never to be forgotten experience for the boy he was actually able to sit in a plane and have a real pilot tell him about the control intelligence and friendly guidance has accomplished what may be a punishment could never do after a year on probation johnny is again brought before the judge w his case is typical of the everyday achievement of good juvenile probabilities a judge who understands children and carefully chosen probation officer