O SIGNIFICADO DE MEDIDAS SOCIOEDUCATIVAS PARA ADOLESCENTES PRIVADOS DE LIBERDADE

Abstract

This study aims to present the meaning that adolescents give to the socio-educational measure of being sent to a juvenile correctional and to the measures taken before such placement. The qualitative research was carried out with three adolescents aged between 17 and 19, who serve the measure of placement in a youth correctional at the Centro de Integração de Adolescentes de Planaltina (CIAP, for its Portuguese acronym), DF, Brazil. The instruments used were: participant observation; field notes and semi structured interviews. Data were processed using content analysis for the construction of meaning nuclei. The socioeducational measures are perceived by the adolescents as unimportant to their lives, except the correctional service, which is regarded as the only one that can provoke "something" to them such as anger, annoyance or sense of injustice. In general, the correctional placement has been conceibed in a paradoxical manner since in addition to restricting freedom -a fundamental right- it guarantees a minimal protection to the adolescents, which other measures cannot achieve.

Keywords

• adolescence
• youth offender
• socio-educational measures