Occupational therapy and adolescent offenders: Mapping of productions

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational therapists are professionals who can develop actions aimed at adolescents who have committed infractions; however, this practice is still little known. Objective: To identify the production in scientific literature, specifically in articles from indexed journals, about occupational therapy and actions with adolescent offenders. Method: Scope review of the literature, searching in six different databases, as well as directories in four Brazilian occupational therapy journals, using terms related to the profession and related to the theme. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 articles specified relationships between occupational therapy and practices with adolescents who committed infractions. Results: Three themes emerged for discussion: 1. The different occupational therapies in time and space; 2. Framework and intervention models; 3. Occupational therapy as a health clinic professional or social action. The practice of the occupational therapist in this context is still not widespread, as it uses different reference frameworks and intervention models, mostly under principles used in healthcare, although there are also reports of professional action focused on the macro-social context that involves teenagers. Conclusion: It is understood that a greater diffusion of reflections and professional practices in this context of practice would contribute significantly to a continuous rethinking about the specificity of the occupational therapist in this area, also strengthening the recognition of the profession as a constituent and a contributor to the area of juvenile justice.