Connectors, Horizon Stretchers, Outsiders: Youth Justice Practitioners in Rural England

Abstract

This article advances research on the practice of youth justice in rural contexts. Drawing on Ingold’s dwelling perspective, and empirical research with youth justice practitioners in rural England, we explore how practitioners develop their practice through their relationships to their rural working environments. We find that through these relationships, practitioners develop themselves as ‘connectors’, aiming to reduce the impact of Fordshire’s remoteness and isolation on young people; as ‘horizon stretchers’, seeking to raise aspirations and broaden imaginations; but often find themselves to be ‘outsiders’ in relation to rural communities. Accordingly, we argue that youth justice work is infused with the lived realities of the contexts in which it is practised and that ongoing debates over the localization of youth justice must take this into account.