The (in)distinction between remand imprisonment and prison sentence: revisiting pre-trial detention within Turkish youth justice system*

Abstract

Around 3.3 million people worldwide are in pretrial detention, and 14 million people are held in such detention per year. Despite the high numbers, remand imprisonment has received little attention in penal theories. Over the past couple of decades, Turkey has constructed high-security remand prisons for young pretrial detainees, indicating a transition towards securitization in the form of remand imprisonment. In these prisons, the element of ?space? and spatial control has taken precedence, while ?labour/discipline? and ?time? have lost significance, reflecting the securitization process. Research conducted in juvenile courts and prisons in 2014?2015 demonstrates how marginalized youth end up in remand prisons that have become social control facilities. Remand imprisonment is interpreted as a crime control and deterrence mechanism by both the prisoners and legal practitioners, and attains roles in crime control that correspond to the residual welfare regime.