Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.--University of Chicago, 1987)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-288) and index
I. Institutional gaps and cross-purposes as dilemmas of individualized casework -- What makes some cases special? -- Daring the impossible: Michael, Mary, Jerome -- Crusading for placement against contentious evasion: Rose, Harold, Henry, Joseph -- The litigiousness of public agencies. II. Technology, culture and outcomes. Normal casework -- Erratic organizational support -- Seeking skeptical approval -- Disposition by default -- Limits of instrumental rationality in casework -- Probation officers' tragic narratives -- Conclusion: the no-fault society
