Gender, Justice and Welfare

"The first major study of the history of British 'bad girls', this book uses a range of professional, popular and personal sources to explore the experiences of girls in the early juvenile justice system. It highlights the role of the voluntary sector in the creation of the modern welfare state, showing how that state relied on religious and charitable bodies for the care and reform of girls defined as both dangerous and endangered, as sinners and citizens. 'Bad girls' are not 'new'. The lively investigation shows how they have posed a recurring challenge to established generational and gender orders, and demonstrates how their construction and treatment was central to the development of modern notions of citizenship and justice."--BOOK JACKET.