O Assistente Social na medida socioeducativa de internação: propostas e perspectivas no exercício profissional

Abstract

The present study, entitled “The Social Worker in the Socio-Educational Measure of Internment: Proposal and Perspectives in the Professional Practice”, has as its general objective to discuss the role of the social worker in the socio-educational measure of internment. The research sought to understand how the social worker works with adolescents deprived of liberty. The study is based on a bibliographical research; the research method adopted in this work was the critical-dialectical approach, based on the historical materialism of Karl Marx. This theoretical approach allows the analysis of social reality, considering that social phenomena are constructed historically. The role of the social worker with adolescents who commit offenses constitutes a great challenge, because, when working with this public, the professional must be committed to the realization of human rights. However, there is a social order that legitimizes punishment to the detriment of social protection. In this contradictory context, historically imposed on these professionals, it reveals a great challenge to be faced. The neoliberal state defends the interests of capital, which results in the precariousness of social policies. In the context of the socio-educational measure of internment, it acquires a punitive connotation, which distances itself from the perspective of social rights by stigmatizing and criminalizing adolescents in conflict with the law, instead of promoting the protection and rights of these adolescents. The results of this study point to the importance of the role of the social worker in the defense of human rights and that, in order to overcome the punitive nature of the socio-educational measure of internment, it is essential that this professional acts to combat the advance of conservatism promoted by the neoliberal state. The study contributes to the reflection on the role of Social Work in challenging contexts and inspires future research on the subject.