Social Control at Opportunity Boys' Home : How Staff Control Juvenile Inmates

This qualitative study critically analyzes the responsibilities of frontline staff at Opportunity Boys' Home (OBH), a residential treatment program for delinquent youth. The core activities of staff at OBH involve direct management and control of juvenile delinquents. Specifically, they serve as the formal social control agents primarily involved in "control-work," e.g., breaking up fights, resolving inmate conflicts, negotiating order, maintaining straight lines, preventing "AWOLS," confronting rule violations by juveniles, and responding to emergencies. Those interested in social control, community-based group homes, social work, and the sociology of work will find Social Control at Opportunity Boys' Home intriguing, useful, and informative.