Education in Youth Detention Homes: An Ethnographic Study of Schooling Against the Odds

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David Wästerfors (Lund University, Sweden)

Education in Youth Detention Homes

An Ethnographic Study of Schooling Against the Odds

David Wästerfors (Lund University, Sweden)

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English

Routledge
22 July 2025

Social & cultural anthropology; Rehabilitation of offenders; Moral & social purpose of education; Educational strategies & policy; Juvenile criminal law

Series: Routledge Frontiers of Criminal Justice

Drawing upon meticulous ethnographic analysis and unique data sources, this book dissects the multifaceted challenges and occasional victories encountered by both educators and detained youth in Sweden.

Originally published in Swedish, this book provides fresh insights into a crucial aspect of youth care and education. Theoretical underpinnings draw from ethnomethodology’s focus on members’ accounts, complemented by C. Wright Mills’ framework of motives and Erving Goffman’s seminal studies on total institutions. The book also includes seven practical suggestions directed to teachers, but also to pupils, treatment staff, and institutional managers, that aim for translating analytical insights into everyday practice.

Education in Youth Detention Homes will be of interest to researchers and students in criminology, sociology, social anthropology, and social work, as well as to professionals in the field of education for young people at risk of crime, psychosocial problems, and social exclusion.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

By: David Wästerfors (Lund University Sweden)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 590g
ISBN: 9781032948744
ISBN 10: 1032948744
Series: Routledge Frontiers of Criminal Justice
Pages: 218
Publication Date: 22 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

David Wästerfors is a Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology, Lund University, Sweden. His publications include Violence – Situation, Specialty, Politics and Storytelling (Routledge, 2022), Analyze! co-authored with Jens Rennstam, Accessibility Denied (Routledge, 2022), co-edited with Hanna Egard and Kristofer Hansson, and Hidden Attractions of Administration (Routledge 2023), with Malin Åkerström, Katarina Jacobsson and Erika Andersson Cederholm. His research often focuses on interactions, institutions, emotions, and social control at the intersections of social psychology, cultural sociology, and criminology. His additional and related interests include disability research as well as ethnography and qualitative methodology.

Reviews for Education in Youth Detention Homes: An Ethnographic Study of Schooling Against the Odds

What an insightful book! Subtitled “schooling against the odds,” discovered is the surprising institutional context at the intersection of youth crime, treatment, and education. The diverse interests, competing accounts, and forms of sabotage transpire performatively within an orderly social world. Meaning-making, strategic actions, and everyday identities repeatedly construct and resolve for all practical purposes what might at a glance appear chaotic and contradictory. The documentation is superb and the message highly significant. Jaber F. Gubrium, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Missouri, USA