Keele Research Repository

This paper explores children’s experiences during their time in custody in England and Wales. Fortyeight 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. The findings from the study suggest that children’s behaviour during incarceration can be understood largely as strategies for surviving the hostile environment in which they find themselves. The 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.