Chapter 5 Youth Justice, Educational Exclusion and Moral Panic
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Abstract
When young people incarcerated in youth justice centers are given an opportunity to engage in effective and inclusive education, possibilities open up – these include future education pathways and successful re-entry to society. A fine line can exist, however, between young people in custody being able to exercise their right to education and being denied that right.
A series of disturbances that took place at the youth justice centers in the Australian state of Victoria during late 2016 and early 2017 is the focal point of this chapter. We engage the concept of moral panic to explore the institutional and community responses to the events that unfolded – events that were filtered through media and political commentary, and which jeopardized the young people’s ability to engage in education.
The authors of this chapter draw from their recent research study on the educational experiences of young people in detention. This study was undertaken in partnership with Parkville College, which provides education for young people in Victoria’s youth justice centers. The authors argue that even when incarcerated young people have access to inclusive and effective education, their educational rights will not be guaranteed until communities, institutions, politicians, and the media address vestiges of moral panic thinking that often inform their perceptions of young people in custody.