Eleanor Glueck
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Touroff Glueck was a social worker and a criminologist.
She was born Leonia Touroff in Brooklyn, New York, the only daughter of Russian immigrant Bernard Leo and Polish immigrant Anna Wodzislawska, although she had two brothers. Upon graduating from Hunter College High School
in 1916, she majored in English at Barnard College
and was awarded a B.A in 1920. Thereupon, she entered the New York School of Social Work, where she met the psychologist Bernard Glueck, who was a forensic psychiatrist at Sing Sing Prison specializing in social work and criminology. Bernard helped her become head social worker at the Dorchester Community Center of Boston in 1921 and she worked there until 1922. Eleanor married Bernard's brother Sheldon Glueck
on April 16, 1922.
In 1922, Eleanor began graduate school studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
. She was awarded a M.Ed. in 1923 and an Ed.D. in 1925 with a thesis on The Community Use of Schools. Their only child, Anitra Joyce, was born in 1924. Eleanor worked at the Harvard Law School as a research assistant from 1928 until 1953, while her husband was a professor at the same school.
Eleanor and Sheldon began a internationally-recognized partnership in criminology that would last the remainder of their lives. They would collaborate on more than 250 publications, beginning with Five Hundred Criminal Careers (1930), followed by Five Hundred Delinquent Women (1934) and One Thousand Juvenile Delinquents (1934). For the juvenile delinquents, they made attempts to predict criminality using statistics, followed by the likelihood of their rehabilitation upon release. They were the first criminologists to perform studies of chronic juvenile offenders and among the first to examine the effects of psychopathy
among the more serious delinquents. Their studies showed that psychopathy was 20 times more common among juvenile delinquents.
In 1940, they began a ten year study that was published as Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency (1950). This resulted in the Gluecks' "Social Prediction Tables" that gave predictions of the likelihood of juvenile delinquency based upon parameters from when the youths were one age six. In 1953, Eleanor became a research associate at a Harvard Law School Research Project that was investigating the causes, treatment and prevention of juvenile delinquency. Her daughter Anita Joyce, who had become a poet and had four works of poetry published, died prematurely in 1956.
In 1947, the United Prison Association of Massachusetts awarded her its Parsons Memorial Award. Although Eleanor never received a tenured appointment with the faculty, both Eleanor and Sheldon were awarded honorary Sc.D. from Harvard in 1958. In 1969, Eleanor was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from Barnard College. She was a trustee at the Judge Baker Guidance Center. She became a fellow with the International Society of Criminologists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The couple retired during the 1960s, then Eleanor accidental drowned in Cambridge at the age of 74.
She was born Leonia Touroff in Brooklyn, New York, the only daughter of Russian immigrant Bernard Leo and Polish immigrant Anna Wodzislawska, although she had two brothers. Upon graduating from Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
in 1916, she majored in English at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
and was awarded a B.A in 1920. Thereupon, she entered the New York School of Social Work, where she met the psychologist Bernard Glueck, who was a forensic psychiatrist at Sing Sing Prison specializing in social work and criminology. Bernard helped her become head social worker at the Dorchester Community Center of Boston in 1921 and she worked there until 1922. Eleanor married Bernard's brother Sheldon Glueck
Sheldon Glueck
Sheldon Glueck was a Polish-American criminologist. Born in Poland, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1920...
on April 16, 1922.
In 1922, Eleanor began graduate school studies at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University, and is one of the top schools of education in the United States. It was founded in 1920, the same year it invented the Ed.D...
. She was awarded a M.Ed. in 1923 and an Ed.D. in 1925 with a thesis on The Community Use of Schools. Their only child, Anitra Joyce, was born in 1924. Eleanor worked at the Harvard Law School as a research assistant from 1928 until 1953, while her husband was a professor at the same school.
Eleanor and Sheldon began a internationally-recognized partnership in criminology that would last the remainder of their lives. They would collaborate on more than 250 publications, beginning with Five Hundred Criminal Careers (1930), followed by Five Hundred Delinquent Women (1934) and One Thousand Juvenile Delinquents (1934). For the juvenile delinquents, they made attempts to predict criminality using statistics, followed by the likelihood of their rehabilitation upon release. They were the first criminologists to perform studies of chronic juvenile offenders and among the first to examine the effects of psychopathy
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
among the more serious delinquents. Their studies showed that psychopathy was 20 times more common among juvenile delinquents.
In 1940, they began a ten year study that was published as Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency (1950). This resulted in the Gluecks' "Social Prediction Tables" that gave predictions of the likelihood of juvenile delinquency based upon parameters from when the youths were one age six. In 1953, Eleanor became a research associate at a Harvard Law School Research Project that was investigating the causes, treatment and prevention of juvenile delinquency. Her daughter Anita Joyce, who had become a poet and had four works of poetry published, died prematurely in 1956.
In 1947, the United Prison Association of Massachusetts awarded her its Parsons Memorial Award. Although Eleanor never received a tenured appointment with the faculty, both Eleanor and Sheldon were awarded honorary Sc.D. from Harvard in 1958. In 1969, Eleanor was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from Barnard College. She was a trustee at the Judge Baker Guidance Center. She became a fellow with the International Society of Criminologists and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The couple retired during the 1960s, then Eleanor accidental drowned in Cambridge at the age of 74.