Hamr na Jezere is a youth detention centre in northern Czech Republic. The youth, aged from early teens up to 16, have been institutionalized for various behavioural problems, ranging from aggression at school to petty crimes. Their length of stay varies from a couple of months to several years; some of the children have spent half of their lives there. The facility comprises schooling and sleeping quarters, separated by gender, designed to serve as a 'family community'. The children live together, visited by guardians and counsellors in shifts. They mostly come from broken homes and some do not have any family members. Within their stay, they form various relationships, ranging from hatred to very close friendship.