Safeguarding children in the secure estate: 1960-2016

This project, commissioned by HM Prisons and Probation Service, was a historical archival study of the infrastructure of child protection within borstals, detention centres (both senior and junior), youth custody centres, young offender institutions, secure training centres, local authority secure children’s homes and other secure settings for children convicted of criminal offences in Britain between 1960 and 2016.  Originating out of discussions between Professors Lucy Delap and Louise Jackson and the Historical Child Abuse Team at HMPPS and led by Dr Caroline Lanskey, the research aimed to inform the response made by HMPPS to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, to enhance HMPPS’s own institutional memory, and to suggest avenues for improved practice of child safeguarding.

The research team combined scholars with expertise in the history of child sexual abuse: (Lucy Delap, University of Cambridge; Louise Jackson, University of Edinburgh) and the youth justice system in England and Wales (Caroline Lanskey; Ben Jarman; Hannah Marshall and Loraine Gelsthorpe, University of Cambridge).

The final research report is available here: https://www.cam.ac.uk/files/safeguarding_children_in_the_secure_estate_october_2018.pdf

Further publication:

Jarman, B., & Lanskey, C. (2019). ‘A Poor Prospect Indeed’: The State’s Disavowal of Child Abuse Victims in Youth Custody, 1960–1990. Societies, 9(2), 27. Available at: https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdpi.com%2F2075-4698%2F9%2F2%2F27&data=05%7C02%7Cks2094%40cam.ac.uk%7C7561ac07ab1c4477d68708dddf36aaa2%7C49a50445bdfa4b79ade3547b4f3986e9%7C1%7C0%7C638912148054294287%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=YrC2YWzH6c44IJX4ZbFJK96XUGYdvGNloJKy1BdokJM%3D&reserved=0.