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.