Family Bonds of Adolescents in the Correctional System During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has heightened concerns about the conditions of adolescents in situations of social vulnerability in Brazil and worldwide. Health, economic and social consequences of this disaster have increased the risks already experienced by this population. Based on that, this paper analyzed the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the family ties of Brazilian adolescents living in the correctional system. Twenty-two adolescents aged 16-19 years old were recruited. A sociodemographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview script were employed for data collection. Thematic Analysis (TA) technique was used for data analysis. The findings showed that the Covid-19 pandemic had a notorious impact on the social and relational ties of adolescents who were in the correctional system. Family ties presented significant interference considering a pre-pandemic, pandemic and post-pandemic temporal conditions. It was identified that the pandemic weakened ties, as well as the inefficiency of deprivation of liberty institutions in ensuring the adequate maintenance of these relationships, so that the inadequate psychosocial support caused ruptures in the adolescents' family ties.