A literatura internacional é consistente em apontar fatores de risco fortemente associados à persistência do comportamento infracional em adolescentes. O conhecimento tem servido de base para o desenvolvimento de instrumentos de avaliação de risco de reincidência infracional, com o propósito principal de adequar a medida judicial, o tipo e o nível de intervenção às necessidades do adolescente. O presente estudo teve como objetivo realizar uma investigação exploratória da performance do instrumento Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory, fundamentado nos fatores de risco associados à persistência da conduta infracional, em amostra composta de quarenta adolescentes em conflito com a lei, no interior do Estado de São Paulo. Realizada a coleta de dados inicial, após um período de 6 a 12 meses foi feito levantamento no Cartório da Infância e Juventude para verificar registro de novas infrações. Análises estatísticas mostraram a boa capacidade preditiva do instrumento. Outros resultados e limitações do estudo são apresentados e discutidos.

The international literature is consistent in pointing risk factors strongly associated with the persistence of offending behavior in adolescents. This knowledge has been used as the basis for the development of instruments to evaluate the risk of recurrent offences, with the main purpose of adapting the judicial measure, type and level of intervention to the needs of the adolescent. The aim of the present study was to carry out an exploratory investigation of the performance of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory instrument, based on risk factors associated with the persistence of offending behavior, in a samples of forty adolescents in conflict with the law, in the interior of the State of São Paulo. After a period of six to twelve months from the initial data collection, a survey was carried out at the Childhood and Youth Registry Office to verify the registration of new offenses. Statistics analysis showed the good predictive capacity of the instrument. Other findings and limitations of the study are presented and discussed.

This study investigates aspects of living with peers in adolescent offenders in the Brazilian context based on the social and personal control behavior theory developed by Marc Le Blanc and his colleagues. Both comparative and quantitative approaches were used to study two groups: Delinquents/adjudicated and control. A questionnaire developed by Le Blanc and adapted to the reality of the study was applied to 75 participants. A significant level of 0.05 was adopted and the data analysis showed that delinquents developed poor relationships suggesting an experience of greater socio-emotional isolation. This refers to the problematic experience in one of the major developmental tasks of this period. Further studies should be developed to analyze the interactions between the coexisting aspects in the family, at school and with peers.