Experiences in Juvenile Training Schools and the Formation of Career Aspirations: Focusing on High School Applicants

Abstract

Previously, employment received much attention as a factor that promotes desistance from crime and delinquency. While interest in the schooling of those released from juvenile training schools has been growing, there have been few studies that focused on schooling in the process of their release from delinquency. To address this research gap, this study aims to clarify the experiences of those who underwent juvenile training school and the formation of career aspirations. To this end, semi-structural interview surveys were conducted with juveniles who had been in a juvenile training school. The results revealed the following points. First, the juveniles interpreted their experience in the reformatory in a positive and negative, while viewed it as a turning point in their development, also felt some tension. Second, the juveniles obtained a clear vision of their desired career paths during the early stages of their stay in the reformatory. However, they also reported tensions that emerged from maintaining their career aspirations in the reformatory.