I Grew Up, I Was Still Small: Experiences Before and After Juvenile Corrections in South Africa

• In Event: 25.036 - Undertheorized and Understudied: New Directions in the Research of Educational Inequality

Abstract

The characteristics and life experiences of youth who become involved with the justice system in South Africa are characterized by difficulties and disadvantages. However, little information is available that systematically studies the myriad of influences on youth that may contribute to their involvement in the justice system, and none of it comes from the first-hand perspective of young men living the experience. The purpose of this paper is to present an in-depth examination of how one young man understands aspects of his life prior to and after involvement in the juvenile corrections system in South Africa.

Authors

• Kristin Marie Murphy, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Joseph C. Gagnon, University of Florida

• Sheryl Howie, University of Florida