Exploring juvenile justice facility library provision in Australian and South Carolina, USA

This chapter explores the provision of library services to children residing
in juvenile justice facilities. The small body of scholarly literature published
on the topic over the last 50 years is examined, followed by a description of
the findings of a recent Australian survey of juvenile justice library provision
in that country. Australia presents a very poor example of the provision of
library services to children living in correctional detention. A contrast to the
Australian context is provided through a case study of the library service to the
South Carolina Birchwood School, in the United States. Housed in the South
Carolina Juvenile Justice Centre, the Birchwood School library is presented
as an example of better practice and an illustration of what can be achieved
by a juvenile justice facility library when it is sufficiently staffed and funded.
Opportunities for further research are identified and conclusions are drawn
regarding the need for libraries in juvenile justice facilities.