The Peper Harow residential community was founded in 1970 and gained international repute for its pioneering work with disturbed adolescents. For over 20 years, this remarkable establishment provided a therapeutic environment for teenagers who had often suffered appalling abuse, and yet for whom the state's only remedial provision until then had been in the punitive form of the approved schools.
In Transforming Hate to Love Melvyn Rose, the community's founder, assesses Peper Harow's success in managing disturbed behaviour, and offers views on areas where the establishment could have responded more effectively to the needs of its residents. His study is complemented by the testimony of ex-residents helped by Peper Harow to overcome their fears and abandon their disruptive behaviour.
The overwhelmingly positive outcome indicates the need for a review of current social policy towards deviant youth and shows how society as a whole would benefit from a psychodynamic view of the causes of criminality and mental ill-health among the young.

About the Author
Melvyn Rose was the founder of Peper Harow and its director for thirteen years. He went on to found the Peper Harow Foundation, leaving in 1993 to pursue a career as a writer and consultant.

Reviews

'Transforming Hate to Love is an argument for optimism, a reasonable voice in a chorus of prejudice...Although Peper Harrow is no longer available, this success story should be read as in important lesson in intelligent, sensitive and effective care of troubled adolescents.' - Community Care

'This is an important book for anyone interested in the treatment of children. Using a thoughtful and very readable style, it reports a detailed outcome study of one of the best known therapeutic schools in the world and is written by one of the leading figures in therapeutic education. It offers a wealth of insights into the dynamics of delinquent behaviour and provides strong evidence that extended therapeutic intervention can turn children's lives around.' - Therapeutic Communities

'This is a rare example of a thorough evaluation of an important experiment in the education of maladjusted children and deserves the attention not only of care providers but also of politicians and the general public who are ultimately responsible for helping those on whom society turns its back.' - Dr D J T Graves, trustee, Tudor Trust

'I recommend this book unreservedly to anyone with an interest in the development of personality, to child care, social service and mental health professionals and to educationalists.' - Group Analysis

'Raises and important debate which has, up to now, amounted to little more than electioneering.' - Red Pepper

'Well written, argues its case convincingly.' - Young Minds

'A considerable achievement ... it captures very well the radically different ambience of Peper Harow and the pivotal place a good memory can have in the lives of those whose past is crowded out with bad memories.' - Journal of Adolescence

Book Information
ISBN 9780415138321
Author Melvyn Rose
Format Paperback
Page Count 164
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 308g