The youth of today have been variously categorised as being ‘dangerous, deviant, barbaric, troublesome, anti-social and irresponsible’ (Muncie, 1999, p. 172). In recent years it appears that governments have been swayed by such opinions and become ‘tough’ on criminals (Brown, 2005,p.28). According to the Ministry of Justice (2009) there are around 2,800 young offenders serving custodial sentences in England and Wales. This essay gives a brief evaluation of the accounts put forward by Fraser (2007) and Morgan (2007) of the secured estate. It critiques the epistemological position, the theoretical framework, and the methodology involved in the collection of data….(short extract)
