ABSTRACT
This chapter, written by a group of authors with lived experience of being in custody, and of research and direct work with children in these settings, describes the children who are currently in custody in England and Wales. It examines their experiences, the system that surrounds them, the impact of incarceration, and the challenges it presents to their development. While small in number, this population tells us a great deal about how marginalisation operates and to whom. Tracking the history, development, and current context of reform in youth justice, we explore how the culture and political ideology around this has changed, and the key struggles and dilemmas that affect the functioning of this system.
