cover image Safe Passage

Safe Passage

Joy G. Dryfoos, Dryfoos. Oxford University Press, USA, $27.5 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-19-511256-6

The transition from adolescence to adulthood represents an aspect of psychosocial development that has increasing importance not only for individuals but also for public policy makers. To the extent that adolescent development can be influenced by politics, Dryfoos, former director of the Alan Guttmacher Institute and author of Full-Service Schools, suggests that government programs are essential in facilitating the ""safe passage"" to socially constructive adulthoods for American adolescents at risk for antisocial forms of behavior. Arguing in support of the federal government's continued involvement in structuring America's social and educational programs for adolescents, Dryfoos holds that ""full-service schools"" (schools that integrate psychosocial programs into a child's basic education) are needed if high-risk youths are to establish or maintain the ""basic trust"" in adult authority that is considered to underlie successful social adaptation. Although one may question Dryfoos's contention that the individual process of psychosocial maturation could ever be a right ensured by the state, her discussion of how federal government policies can create programs for adolescents that prevent the development of antisocial pursuits and foster social adaptation is clearly written and well thought out. While more research concerning the benefits of full-service schools is undoubtedly necessary, anyone interested in the fate of government programs for American adolescents should read this book. (Mar.)