Prevenção infracional e morte adolescente: políticas públicas de segurança específicas para a proteção da vida de adolescentes em conflito com a lei na cidade de Goiânia (2016 - 2023)

Abstract

This research investigates the deaths of adolescents in conflict with the law in Goiânia. The objective is to analyze these deaths, the profile, and the criminal history of these youths from 2016 to 2022, comparing possible variables with those of a sample of surviving adolescents. Based on this diagnosis, the study aims to propose actions and improvements in public security policies, particularly tertiary prevention policies, for adolescents in conflict with the law in Goiânia. The research begins with a historical trajectory of juvenile delinquency, under the conceptual framework of social defense, up to the present moment when the full protection of children and adolescents has been elevated to a constitutional level. Despite these advances, the study analyzes the vulnerability of young people in Brazil, particularly concerning mortality, considering the intersectionality of various risk situations. It highlights that adolescents in conflict with the law experience a heightened vulnerability due to their involvement in infractions, given their higher mortality rate compared to the general youth population of Goiânia. The study raises the question of whether labeling theory explains this situation, which could be an aspect of the phenomenon known as Juvenicide. It addresses the importance of public policies in realizing fundamental social rights and examines the public policy cycle. It further explores public security policies, institutional arrangements, and intersectoral coordination among various responsible entities, using established processes in the SUS (Brazil’s Unified Health System) as examples. Regarding methodology, the research adopts a mixed-method approach, combining descriptive and inferential analysis of the variables collected from the census of deceased adolescents and the sample of surviving youths. The statistical tests confirm that engaging in infractions is a significant factor in the likelihood of death among young people in Goiânia, with a 3.67 times higher risk. The typical profile of these adolescents is that of a Black male, experiencing educational delay in elementary school, with an average age of death at 18.4 years, predominantly due to violent deaths involving firearms, in circumstances related to criminal activities—whether from conflicts between groups and organizations or police intervention. These youths grew up in nontraditional family structures, living with their mothers or relatives and with an absent father. They were users of illicit drugs and, on average, committed four infractions, including robbery/extortion, drug trafficking and use, receiving stolen goods, theft, bodily injury, illegal possession and carrying of firearms, and homicide. They did not serve time in juvenile detention and, on average, died three years and three months after committing their first infraction, which typically occurred between the ages of 15 and 16. Finally, the study proposes the adoption of a flowchart to ensure the application of the principle of early intervention, as well as a Risk Factor Table to define a Special Monitoring Group.