Am I supposed to be in a prison or a mental hospital?’ The nature and purpose of secure children's homes

Bibliographic Data

ID14895607
AuthorsCaroline Andow (0000-0003-2162-1255, Department of Social Sciences and Social Work, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Bournemouth University Bournemouth UK, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume38
Issue5
Pages1622-1636
Publication date2024-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0951-0605 • E-ISSN: 1099-0860
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/chso.12828
OpenAlexW4390778046
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited22

Secure children's homes are locked institutions that deprive children of their liberty. The government are investing significantly in these homes, yet there remains a lack of clarity about their nature and purpose. Drawing on data generated through a substantial ethnography in one secure children's home in England, this paper uses Goffman's (1961) theorising as a conceptual lens to view the institution. It concludes that ambiguity and confusion about what these institutions are, and what they seek to achieve, impacts negatively on the experience of everyday life within. Clarity is needed urgently to improve experiences and to enable the assessment of outcomes

Ambiguity · CLARITY · Confusion · Criminology · Ethnography · Government (linguistics · Institution · Political science · Prison · Psychoanalysis · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Total institution · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Psychology · Public Administration

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