Purpose

This article explores the case of the Queensland's reformatory for boys through the years 1871–1919 to analyse how the institution negotiated the complex, and at times competing, goals of reforming, educating and punishing its inmate population.

Design/methodology/approach

The article relies on documentary evidence, including archival material produced by the institution and newspaper records published between 1865, when the legislation allowing the institution to be created was passed, to 1919, when the institution ceased to be known as a “reformatory”.

Findings

This research demonstrates that, despite considerable changes during the studied period, the overarching goal of reforming criminal and potentially criminal young people continuously relied on achieving a balance between reformative techniques such as religious instruction and work placements, providing a useful education and punishing offenders. It also demonstrates that, despite efforts to achieve this balance, the institution was often described as unsuccessful.

Originality/value

Due to the paucity of available archival evidence, there is still relatively little known about how the reformatories of late-19th- and early-20th-century Australia attempted to carry out programmes of moral reformation. This paper contributes to the field through an analysis of an institution which faced unusual challenges as a result of a complex inmate population.

中文翻译：

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管理道德改造：昆士兰男孩改造院的案例，1871-1919

目的

本文探讨了 1871 年至 1919 年间昆士兰男童教养院的案例，以分析该机构如何协商复杂的、有时是相互竞争的改革、教育和惩罚其囚犯人口的目标。

设计/方法/方法

这篇文章依赖于文件证据，包括该机构制作的档案材料和 1865 年（允许创建该机构的立法获得通过）到 1919 年该机构不再被称为“宗教改革机构”之间出版的报纸记录。

发现

这项研究表明，尽管在研究期间发生了相当大的变化，但改造犯罪和潜在犯罪青年的总体目标一直依赖于在宗教教育和工作安置等改造技术之间取得平衡，提供有益的教育和惩罚罪犯。它还表明，尽管努力实现这种平衡，但该机构经常被描述为不成功。

原创性/价值

由于缺乏可用的档案证据，对于 19 世纪末和 20 世纪初澳大利亚的改革院如何尝试实施道德改革计划，人们仍然知之甚少。本文通过对一个因复杂的囚犯人口而面临不寻常挑战的机构进行分析，为该领域做出贡献。