Exploring the Lived Experiences of Social Workers in Juvenile Justice Settings: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry Grounded in Ricoeur's Interpretive Framework

Abstract

Social work and juvenile justice play critical roles in supporting a shared vulnerable youth population between the ages of 13 and 18. Despite their shared focus, these fields continue to exhibit marked differences. The primary objective of the juvenile justice system is to administer justice and prevent youth from engaging in criminal behavior that may persist into adulthood. In contrast, social work is grounded in a holistic approach that emphasizes individuals' overall well-being and empowerment. Despite the critical role social workers play as practitioners in juvenile justice settings, their lived experiences have remained underexplored. This hermeneutic phenomenological study aimed to comprehensively explore the lived experiences of social workers who practice in carceral and custodial host settings using Paul Ricoeur's Theory of Interpretation and the Vancouver School of Doing Phenomenology for data collection and analysis. Through in-depth interviews with eleven practitioners and a multi-layered analysis process, the study examined how social workers made meaning of their roles and navigated ethical tensions in environments that often prioritize punitive approaches to care. Findings illuminated six core themes: ethics and advocacy in host settings, emotional labor, gaps in training, mentorship and peer support, role strain, and boundary-setting. These insights highlight the complexity of social work within juvenile justice settings and underscore the importance of educational, institutional, and policy-level supports that sustain professional values and promote youth-centered, trauma-informed care. The study contributes to the limited literature on social work in juvenile justice settings, offering implications for practice, policy, and social work education, and calls for greater integration of frontline voices in systemic reform efforts. Keywords: hermeneutic phenomenology, host settings, justice-involved youth, juvenile justice settings, Ricoeur, social workers, theory of interpretation, the Vancouver School of Doing Phenomenology