Intervention project with young offenders: a case study

Young offenders have always marked their presence in society. The goal of the present study was to describe an intervention program with young offenders based in problem-solving strategies. The four male participants were taking part of a temporary detention program in a center for young offenders into a city of São Paulo State. Instruments used: Individual Interview, The Anger Disorder Scale (ADS-VII), Beck Depression Inventory, Self-esteem Scale, Satisfaction with Treatment Questionnaire, participants self-reports and monitoring of offenses. The intervention program consisted of 10 individual sessions, three pre-testing and seven during the intervention phase. The interviews provided enriching data about the participants’ profile including: low-educational status, a history of family violence and multiple offenses. Results indicated that two participants decreased their anger scores after the intervention; high levels of self-esteem were maintained and all four participants decreased their depression levels. Follow-up data was obtained from two participants only. Keywords: young offenders; psychological intervention; problem-solving.