What is a "borstal"?

Search: borstal

Why: In Heavenly Creatures, Pauline says:

I have made no decision yet, as the last fate I wish to meet is one in a borstal.

Answer: A prison for delinquent British youths! This system was meant to separate juveniles from older convicts and designed to be "educational rather than punitive." The first was established in Borstal, Kent, in 1902. Here's an interesting article about one.

The Criminal Justice Act 1982 abolished the borstal system in the UK, introducing youth custody centers instead.

Source: Google Dictionary (which I don't like, by the way - why did they change it?)

The More You Know: There are a book, a film (2000), and a play called Borstal Boy, about an Irish boy who - during his 3 years in the prison during WWII - learns to love his enemies and becomes a man! The play won a Tony Award in 1970.

There's also what appears to be a gay porn by that name. NSFW.