The need to break the cycle: a profile of the girls placed in custody in the youth justice system in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Maria João Leote de Carvalho, Tatiana Maria Marques Tironi and Luciana Assis Costa

Chapter 9 in Research Handbook on Youth Criminology, 2025, pp 144-162 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: In Brazil, in recent years, registered girls’ transgressions have grown proportionally more than males’, with a faster increase in the female population in detention also noted. Given that entry into custody has historically been linked to social disadvantage and the unequal distribution of power and resources that perpetuate patriarchy, as well as the classist, racist, and selective character still present in the Brazilian youth justice system, there is a need to further understand the lives of girls before detention. Drawing on data from the state of Minas Gerais, this chapter explores the sociodemographic profile and the sentencing measures for 207 detainees under 18 years old, who were placed into custody from 2015 to 2019. Most are black, poor, with low schooling, and had committed minor crimes. Findings reveal girls’ criminalization is associated with gender inequalities resulting from the precariousness of mechanisms for female mobility and social inclusion in Brazilian society.

Keywords: Brazil; Feminist criminology; Girls’ crime; Social exclusion; Youth justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035300747
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