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P082. Pathways in the juvenile justice system and legal socialization: A longitudinal study of adjudicated youths’ legal attitudes

Thu, September 4, 6:45 to 8:00pm, Other Venues, Poster Venue

Abstract

The age-crime curve consistently shows that most crimes are committed during adolescence. For most youth, delinquent behavior is part of a natural maturation process and declines as they transition into adulthood and begin to take on adult roles. However, contact with the justice system may disrupt this natural process of desistance. Additionally, legal socialization research highlights the importance of young people’s interpretations of their experiences in the juvenile justice system in shaping their orientations towards legal institutions and the law. These orientations, if positive, may promote law-abiding behavior, and if negative, may foster delinquent behavior.
This PhD project aims to understand the trajectories of adjudicated youth in the juvenile justice system in Portugal. Ultimately, it aims to explore the inter- and intra-individual variations in adjudicated youths’ legal attitudes (namely, perceived legitimacy of legal authorities and the law) at the beginning and end of their trajectory in the system, as well as the predictive factors of these variations. Additionally, through a qualitative methodology (interviews), this study explores how young people interpret and give meaning to their experiences within the juvenile justice system. It is expected that intra-variations in youths’ legal attitudes will be explained by their perceptions of legal authorities’ procedural justice. These and other expected results will be identified, offering suggestions for practices in the juvenile justice system that support youth rehabilitation and education for the law.

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