Abstract
The proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution (PEC 171/1993) of Brazil provides for the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 years. This proposal was voted by the House of Representatives and is currently in the Federal Senate, being strongly supported by the elected President. Despite evidence showing that age is unrelated to indicators of violence, public opinion supports the measure, indicating the urge for listening to the opinion of adolescents on this subject. This study aimed to investigate the perspective of adolescents regarding the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Brazil. The study sample consisted of 25 adolescents from a public school and five who fulfilled socioeducational measures, all aged from 12 to 17 years. Data on the first group were collected by means of conversation circles, and on the second group by interviews. A written record was kept for both moments of data collection, which was later read and discussed among the researchers involved in the study. The results indicate some common themes emerging from circles and interviews, namely: adolescence, anger, fear, social issues, law, and violence. When sharing their perspectives on the subject, participants went beyond an opinionated position, producing important elaborations. This also triggered the possibility of addressing specific problems of adolescence and social reality. In this scenario, Psychology plays a key role in bringing opinions to light, such as those of adolescents participating in this study - who tend to stay on the sidelines.
Keywords:
Criminal Responsibility; Adolescence; Psychoanalysis; Conversation Circle; Interviews