RT Article
T1 Care-leaver activism and criminogenic welfare: An Australian case study
JF Journal of criminology
VO 58
IS 2
SP 225
OP 240
A1 Wilson, Jacqueline Z. 1965-
A2 Musgrove, Nell
A2 McGinniss, David
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1925444058
AB This article discusses the failings of Out-Of-Home Care (OOHC) in Australia, focussing on 20th century OOHC systems’ construction of non-offending minors as “problems” while exposing them to high-risk environments defined here as “crime scenes”. Governments are deemed culpable for the inherent criminality of the system and its institutions. Juxtaposed to this is the development of care-leaver activist groups since the 1990s, and their fight to make governments and institutions accountable and to advocate in legal and bureaucratic forums for care-leavers and those currently in care. The discussion benefits from the insights of the article's lead author, herself a former state ward and a long-time care-leaver activist. The article identifies obstacles militating against activist successes, including institutional resistance and the historical reluctance of academics, especially criminologists, to engage with the problem.
K1 criminogenic welfare
K1 out-of-home-care
K1 Activism
K1 Forgotten Australians
K1 Care-leaver
DO 10.1177/26338076241286577