« La triple peine : être préadolescents en institution médico-sociale »

Overview & Synopsis

Teenagers in Institut-medico-professional (a state special needs training facility) must constantly negotiate three forms of suffering, which make their journeys through life significantly more complex. Widely ratified data classifies these individuals in the category of “mentally deficient”. The violence associated with their institutionalised lives adds to the difficulty of this journey. Moreover, inmates from this kind of structure suffer from the effects of stigmatisation in scenes of daily life, due to these conditions of reclusion and deficiency. This article will suggest a reflexion on the lives of inmates in an Institut-medico-professional, whose ages vary between 12 and 14; this is based on a participatory observation carried out by a specialised teacher in the institution. This reflexion will focus on the notion of triple penalties, which “weigh on” their existence : stigmatisation and reclusion, added to the fundamental predicament inherent to institutional care and youth.