A British institution where young offenders and delinquent juveniles are held and given vocational training and education instead of traditional imprisonment.
From Borstal, a district in Kent, England, where the first such institution was established in 1902. The name became genericized to describe the entire system of reformatory institutions for youth.
Borstal was a genuinely progressive innovation in 1902—while Victorian prisons treated youth like adult criminals, Borstal tried rehabilitation through education and trade skills, making it an early example of 'tough love' rehabilitation theory that's still debated today.
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