Life stories of adolescents deprived of their freedom from the theory of social ties

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify the strength of the social ties of adolescents in a penitentiary institution that are considered to act as deterrents of criminal behavior. To this purpose, 50 life stories of adolescents deprived of their liberty were collected in the Internment and Adaptation Center for Adolescent Offenders. The stories were voluntarily written by the adolescents in the context of the school support service provided by university students. The results of the analysis of life histories are not so conclusive as regards the bond with the parents. What seems to be a constant is the strong feeling of nostalgia for the family and in addition to the fact that those adolescents who are already parents express their desire for change for their children. There is a constant in terms of various ruptures with schools and a fragmented academic history. Finally, relationships with peers point to "friends and colleagues" that were part of the beginning of criminal activity. This investigation allows gathering evidence in relation to the antecedents that trigger criminal behavior in adolescents, but it is still necessary to investigate more about it.