Children in Secure Accommodation

Secure accommodation is a controversial custodial facility provided for children in the care and criminal justice systems. Children are placed in these institutions for a number of different reasons, from those who have run away from home to those who have committed serious crimes. Teresa O'Neill argues that the ideological confusion between welfare and justice leads to a contadiction in policy and practice. She suggest that the fact that most of the boys - who form the majority of children in secure accommodation - are admitted through the criminal justice system while most of the girls are admitted through the welfare system makes this a gendered issue. The book explores the circumstances and experiences of children in secure accommodation through an examination of their own stories and through accounts of social workers and staff at secure units. From these accounts O'Neill draws conclusions on what it means to be in a secure unit, the effectiveness of this type of provision in meeting the needs and improving the life chances of the children placed in the units, and the complexities inherent in the role and practice of secure accommodation.