Photograph of two people sitting in an office at the Juvenile Probation Department at the Gulf Coast Trades Center.

Photograph of a boy serving cake on a dining line at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center. The boy is wearing a light-colored uniform.

Photograph of an instructor teaching two boys about circuits. There are labeled parts on a wall behind them, and they are looking at the wall.

Photograph of four boys riding on the back of a truck at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center.

Photograph of a group of men stretching in a field, preparing for a football game at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center.

Photograph of three persons walking on a volleyball court at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center. One of them is pushing a wheeled mechanism.

Photograph of a boy, wearing a striped shirt, sitting on a bed at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center. There is a Buffalo Bill poster on his wall.

Photograph of a boy using a saw on a project at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center. He is wearing a denim jacket and a hat with safety goggles.

Photograph of two boys working on a metal working at the Juvenile Probation Department of the Gulf Coast Trades Center. One of them is wearing a hat, and they are both wearing light-colored shirts.

Photograph of three men talking in a wood shop while another man works on a project at the Juvenile Probation Department at the Gulf Coast Trades Center. There are workstations in the shop, and lights along the ceiling.

The problem this investigation deals with is how The Echo functions as a communication vehicle within the TDC. Information was gathered through visits, interviews and a questionnaire. Organization is as follows: Chapter I, introduction, Chapter II, history and development; Chapter III, analysis of questionnaire data; Chapter IV, content; Chapter V, summary and conclusions. The study found that The Echo is often the sole source of TDC information to inmates, frequently aids administrators in providing inmates with information, provides an outlet for creativity, and enjoys little censorship. The report concludes that The Echo is an effective information medium, and that future study is possible in the role of the prison press in influencing rehabilitation, its contact with the outside public, and in inmate-produced magazines and journals.