The penal system for young offenders in Germany
Abstract
This chapter focuses on how social work with all its normative and social-pedagogical starting conditions and activity requirements functions within the German penal system for young offenders. In this context, the relevant concepts “education” and “resocialization”, which are of practical relevance for social work as well as for the design of youth prisons in Germany, are discussed and assessed for their clarity and their murkiness. While acknowledging the need for empirical analyses regarding the effectiveness of professional action, this chapter highlights the importance of allowing for uncertainty, ambivalence and contradiction.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Criminal Justice and Penology
Criminal Law and Policy
Legal and Social Justice Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 213–223
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter