Assessment of juvenile delinquents: cross-cultural adaptation of Jesness Personality Inventory

Abstract

The variety and crimes number reported in the media provide an seriousness overview of this problem in society today. In this context, when they are under 18 years are involved, although considered criminally incompetent and the peculiar condition of development, the discussion concerns the appropriate social response to the phenomenon has grown. It is known that the involvement level of adolescents with the practice of illegal acts is variable, so that the assessment severity of the problem is crucial to professionals who must take decisions about routing and perform the appropriate interventions. In this sense, use systematic procedures that can support the application and implementation socio-educational measures in the adolescent offenders is essential when seeking effective benefits to those considering the differences among adolescents in relation to psychological development, the personality traits, mental health conditions, social characteristics, family and education and therefore the need for interventions. Studies have shown that the Personality Inventory of Jesness (PIJ) is a capable tool a differential diagnosis and multi-level engagement in crime, supply insight into psychodynamic adolescent from his psychological profile and dominant characteristics in his personality. Designed especially for assessment of adolescents who commit illegal acts, PIJ has been used in countries with well-structured programs of intervention in this field, is to offer guidelines for a psychosocial intervention individually, is to help assessment changes in juvenile delinquents, according to the processes of intervention. Thus, it is considered that the adaptation of this instrument for the Brazilian reality can be very useful scientific and also social. The PIJ is composed of 155 statements, which the adolescent must answer true or false. The statements are organized into 11 scales, which provide a measure of personality traits specifically associated with conduct of criminal acts in adolescents. These features distinguish the mode of operation of non-delinquent offender, from two broad existential one dominated by allocentrism and another by egocentrism. As part of procedures for adapting the PIJ, studies of validation, standardization and accuracy, as well as studies of semantic appropriateness the instrument. To determinate standards population for which the instrument was adapted is essential to ensure uniformity in the interpretation of scores and the proper data interpretation obtained with the instrument. Thus, this study proposes to develop normative standards of the PIJ in Brazilian adolescents males, aged between 14 and 18 years. The sample will consist of 250 to 350 adolescents were male, distributed by age and from public and private schools in Ribeirão Preto. The PIJ is rated according to technical criteria and analysis will be done by specific statistical treatment. This study will include the scientific production knowledge by the phenomenon of juvenile delinquency, contributing to a better understanding of the variables involved in the conduct infraction, in addition to providing improvements for the methods and assessment practices in this area.