ABSTRACT
Symbolising a last resort for children and young people, secure care facilities detain a population deemed to pose a high risk to themselves or others. Between the poles of care and control these units stand for protection and minimising risk for a group of young and highly vulnerable people. This chapter contextualises secure care in the Scottish setting, where for many of the detainees it is only one destination in a number of institutions positioned on different ends on a continuum of control. For those placed into institutions of secure care in Scotland, the reason most commonly given is that it is considered a ‘place of safety’, either on offence grounds where safety refers to that of others, or on welfare grounds where safety refers to that of the young person. Care is provided, but is contained in a tightly controlled setting. The chapter draws upon empirical findings from two doctoral research projects, which include a range of qualitative methodologies such as mental maps, qualitative interviews, and case file data to look at young women in Scotland who have either offended or are deemed ‘at risk’ of offending. Through joint authorship the chapter is able to combine carceral geographical and criminological perspectives in order to untangle some of the complicated issues that arise when children and young people are locked up in order to care for them. The chapter explores the pathways of young women that have led them to detention, often through multiple placements of care. Using creative methods, the young women’s own perspectives are analysed alongside those of staff from secure settings and external staff from a range of statutory and voluntary providers.
