The role of secure units in Social Welfare Department institutions

Abstract

The terms "security" and "secure unit", when used in reference to our Social Welfare institutions and offending youngsters, have come to mean the physical structure or building that prevents absconding or confines undesirable behaviour to a limited area. The purposes advanced for placing children in secure facilities include protection of the public; protection of the young person; control of the child and, sometimes, the provision of "intensive care". The use of secure facilities in Social Welfare institutions in New Zealand has become a topical issue of late, and this thesis represents an attempt to examine the role secure units do play in our institutions. The first question considered is "Why do we have secure units?" Their presence today has a history rooted in a total institutional care system. They cannot be viewed separately for they represent an adaptation to changing community and institutional needs. The first part of the thesis examines the development of the total system and the changing needs and pressures that led to the introduction of secure units. The second part of the thesis examines the current use of secure facilities in two social welfare institutions, and current national policy regarding their utilization. In focusing on historical and current justifications for the presence and use of security for youngsters, questions regarding decision making for secure use and the therapeutic value of seclusion are included. Findings and writings from Britain and the United States aid in throwing some light upon the issues central to the role and function of secure units within our institutional care system.