Theses which are for and against the reduction of full legal age are under debate in this study. On the one hand, politicians in favour of the reduction claim that minors under the age of 16, once considered intellectually and emotionally mature, must respond legally for their acts. On the other hand, law professionals and social assistants who deal directly with target children and adolescents defend the present legislation, since they understand that the ECA social-educational measures permit the reeducation of the adolescents in conflict with the law. The data, collected from documents of 669 adolescents from the Educandário São Francisco (PR) and 356 adults from the Casa de Custódia de Curitiba, showed that there is a positive relation between the gravity of the crimes and age (r = 0,071; p = 0,05). Age is a variable that positively varies if related to the seriousness of the crime, so, the older the subject, more serious the crime. This information supports the policy established by the Child and Adolescent Statute, that emphasizes the fact that the adolescent is in continuous development and in that sense must be submitted to social and educational penalties.
Reduction of full legal age; Perilousness; Risk adolescent
