A DESISTÊNCIA DA CONDUTA INFRACIONAL EM ADOLESCENTES.

Abstract

The involvement of adolescents in criminal activities is a problem that has mobilized the society and the issue has been debated in several areas. For this reason, science needs to get engaged in this issue and investigate it. This dissertation proposes to specifically investigate the process of desistance of antisocial behavior by adolescents in conflict with the law. For this, two surveys were conducted, organized and presented by means of two articles: one theoretical and one empirical. The first one is a systematic review of the literature, which analyzed critically what has been published in the scientific community on desistance from crime in adolescents over the last 10 years, in search tools and databases with national and international articles - Google Scholar, BVS, Scirus, ScienceDirect, Psycinfo. 19 articles were found, 8 national and 11 international, which focused primarily on two issues: life trajectories and models of intervention. In conclusion, they emphasized the environment as a highly relevant factor for the development and maintenance of antisocial behavior, and also the possibility of developing actions that assist in the process of desistance of criminal behavior. The second study, presented in the second article, is about two descriptive and exploratory researches, and it aims to investigate the psychological availability to the desistance of criminal behavior in adolescents under socio-educational measure. In the first one, a sample of 44 adolescents was used, through the Rorschach method (Comprehensive System). It was observed that 40% of the sample was available for the abandonment of criminal behavior, and the aspects of personality that most favored the willingness to change behavior were related to interest in what people say and do (SumH), as well as flexibility of thought in making decisions and adaptating to new situations (a: p). The least present aspects were related to the ability to establish psychologically intimate relationships with other people (SumT), and the ability of introspection (FD). In the second one, there was a content analysis of the interviews of two teenagers aiming to deepen on issues concerning desistance of crime. The two teenagers differed in availability to the discontinuance of criminal behavior, especially with respect to the suffering experienced by the current life situation. Anyway, it was concluded at the end of the two surveys that it is possible to develop performances with adolescents in conflict with the law aiming at desistance from crime, both individually and in broader levels, involving the youngsters, their family, and the community where they live, so that there might be an increase in the chances of desistance from crime and restructuring of life.