Young offenders in institutional reports: The official records of the "Complexo do Tatuapé" (Febem, São Paulo/SP, 1990-2006)

Abstract

This work aims to analyze the labels mobilized by professionals who work in youth detention centers to assign meaning to the behavior of young offenders. In order to understand these labels and the context in which they emerge, we develop a document analysis of institutional reports. The labels reveal a reframing of legal regulations by these professionals, who do not consider all adolescents equally, based on their developmental stage, but only those who meet the expectations built by them. Thereby, it is possible to observe the linking of new values to the identities of young offenders, labeling them and building a shared moral grammar.