The meaning of place and space in a probation approved premises

In a previous paper the author explored how the social life of resident offenders in a Probation Approved Premises was structured around social group identities; noting that these groups were reflected in the way space within the institution was used and imbued with meaning. This paper develops on these observations from an ethnographic case study of a Probation Approved Premises, highlighting the interplay between residents’ social and place-identities and the fundamental importance appreciating the meaning of places within the institution has to understanding the cultural experience of being a resident within this criminal justice context.