“The perfect space”: the perspective of the management of guarded detention centers for foreigners in Poland

Abstract

The space in detention centers for foreigners in Poland is guarded by the border guards and it is unavailable for outsiders. Therefore, there is no opportunity for researchers to observe the practices related to administering this space and regulating the behavior of the staff and the detainees. Between 2018 and 2019, a first exploratory study in Poland targeted at the identification of rules and standards of the material organisation of the centers’ space and the performance of all the categories social actors. This article presents some results of the study regarding the centers’ management’s image of how the perfect detention center should be designed and organised. For data collection, the study used focus group interviews (FGI) in all Polish guarded detention centers.