Youth Violence Prevention: An Exploratory Study in Brazilian Juvenile Justice

This exploratory study investigates how programs led by both public agencies and NGOs affect youth criminal trajectories in Rio de Janeiro. The research focuses on adolescents in juvenile detention and aims to evaluate interventions that shape entry into and desistance from crime. The project leverages access to administrative data from justice, health, education, and social assistance systems, and will integrate these with territorial data on participants’ neighborhoods of residence. This is made possible through partnerships with the State Prosecutor’s Office (MPRJ), the Department of Socio-Educational Measures (Degase), and Instituto Favela Radical, a community-based NGO operating from a favela in Rio and founded by a formerly incarcerated youth. The study prepares the ground for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Jovem Youtuber program, implemented by Instituto Favela Radical inside juvenile detention units. The program combines socio-emotional training, storytelling, and audiovisual production to foster self-expression, emotional regulation, and life planning. Despite its name, it is not aimed at creating influencers, but rather promoting personal agency and communication skills among detained youth. Practically, the study addresses institutional fragmentation and builds the data and coordination structures needed for rigorous evaluation. Conceptually, it contributes to the literature on youth violence, desistance, and state intervention in LMICs. It targets adolescents at high risk of incarceration and violent death, the majority of whom are poor and Black. While J-PAL Latin America operates in Brazil, the host institution is Leme Lab, a local research center embedded in this policy ecosystem.