Factors associated with recidivism among adolescents girls in conflict with the law in an institution in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil Fatores associados à reincidência entre adolescentes

Recidivism is a challenge for the Brazilian socioeducational system because it is associated with personal, social and environmental factors, especially among juvenile offenders. This study examined key characteristics and potential association with recidivism in 391 female adolescent offenders from a correctional institution in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, between 2004 and 2011. Cross-sectional data on socio-demographics, drug use and offense characteristics from institutional information were examined. Associate factors with recidivism were examined using negative binomial regression analyses. 32.5% of offenders were recidivists at present admission and the mean frequency of recidivism among recidivists was 2.16. About half (53.6%) of the sample reported drug use. After the adjustment, recidivism was positively associated with: age; offender’s drug use; residence status; offense type; and no family drug use. Factors associated with juvenile offenders’ recidivism confirm findings from elsewhere, and should inform targeted interventions in Brazil. Recurrence; Adolescent; Drug Users Resumo A reincidência constitui um desafio para o sistema socioeducativo brasileiro por estar associada a fatores pessoais, sociais e ambientais, especialmente entre adolescentes em conflito com a lei. Este estudo verificou as principais características associadas à reincidência em uma amostra de 391 mulheres adolescentes em conflito com a lei em uma unidade de internação de Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brasil, entre 2004-2011. Dados transversais sociodemográficos acerca do uso de drogas e sobre as características do ato infracional foram analisados. Fatores associados à reincidência foram analisados por regressão binomial negativa. Trinta e dois vírgula cinco por cento das adolescentes pesquisadas eram reincidentes e a frequência média de reincidências foi de 2,16. Cinquenta e três vírgula seis por cento da amostra relataram uso de drogas. Após ajuste, reincidir foi positivamente associado à idade, uso de drogas, residência, tipo de ato infracional e não uso de drogas pela família. Nossos achados corroboram com outros contextos mundiais, demonstrando a necessidade de orientação nas intervenções adotadas pelo sistema socioeducativo brasileiro. Recidiva; Adolescente; Usuários de Drogas http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-311X00171014 Gallassi AD et al. 2570 Cad. Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, 31(12):2569-2576, dez, 2015 Introduction In many countries, the number of correctional inmates has been rising in recent decades. Additionally, correctional institutions need improvements in the health care offered to its incarcerated population 1. Particular attention is given to young offenders or inmates, given that they constitute a key risk population susceptible to a complex array of external factors and circumstances in their behavior 2. Individuals who make up this population are at an early stage in their lives and so future offenses and their negative consequences for individual and society form a principal concern for interventions 3. In many industrialized countries, young offenders represent up to 20% of the recorded offender or correctional inmate population. In Brazil, the number of young offenders has increased from 10,446 in 2006 to 20,532 in 2012, only 5% of whom were female 4,5; reported information on recidivism varies between 43,3% 4 and 54% 5. Among young offender following residential treatment, different studies have documented recidivism rates of between 40% and 85% 6. Available data suggests that the odds of recidivism are generally higher for male than female juvenile offenders 3,7. A fairly large body of research has focused on identifying potential factors associated with recidivism among male young offenders 8,9,10. Consequently, there has been a lack of attention to female offenders 11,12,13, especially in Brazil, including information about recidivism by gender. Factors associated with recidivism among young offenders are commonly differentiated into “static” factors (those that are historic and cannot be changed, such as age at first offense and prior offenses), and “dynamic” factors (those that can potentially be changed, such as the youth’s friends or school performance, criminal attitudes and denial of responsibility) 14,15. Factors for which at least some supportive evidence for an association with recidivism include: socio-demographic and offense history 7,16; family history and situational variables (unfavorable social context of life, such as lack of access to housing, education and health with desirable quality) 14,16,17; clinical or behavioral problems 8,19,20; and educational factors 8,21. A large proportion of young offenders placed in correctional facilities are diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and most reported that they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they committed the delinquent act that led to their current detainment 10,22,23. In addition, it has been emphasized that the characteristics and recidivism of female young offender populations have been understudied, yet require distinct attention 11. This study examined characteristics of a sample of adolescent female offenders admitted to a correctional facility (Unidade de Internação do Plano Piloto – UI) between 2004 and 2011 in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil, and examined (a) factors potentially associated with recidivism in the sample, and (b) factors potentially associated with the frequency of recidivism in the sub-sample of offenders who had reported any recidivism.