The experiences of children in custody: a story of survival
ISSN: 1757-8043
Article publication date: 16 June 2021
Issue publication date: 11 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore children’s experiences during their time in custody in England and Wales.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 48 children were interviewed, as part of a wider study on children’s pathways into, through and out of custody. The focus of this paper is on children’s experiences in young offender institutions.
Findings
The findings from this study suggest that children’s behaviour during incarceration can be understood largely as strategies for surviving the hostile environment in which they find themselves.
Practical implications
This paper seeks to make a series of recommendations for practitioner and policymakers, based on the findings of this study.
Originality/value
The findings from this study suggest that children’s behaviour during incarceration can be understood largely as strategies for surviving the hostile environment in which they find themselves. This paper seeks to highlight specific elements of this environment and offers an insight into how they may impact upon a child's sense of self and place in the world.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Author thanks to Tim Bateman and John Pitts, who were her much valued partners on the research project that has informed this paper. She also thanks to the South and West Yorkshire Resettlement Consortium as a fieldwork partner in this study, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. However, the greatest thanks goes to the children who kindly gave their time and spoke so honestly to her about their experiences into, through and out of custody.
Citation
Day, A.-M. (2021), "The experiences of children in custody: a story of survival", Safer Communities, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 159-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-11-2020-0040
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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