OBJECTIVES: to understand the social representations of members of the judiciary regarding the prevention of interfamilial sexual violence against children and adolescents. METHODS: a qualitative approach to research that considers as its field of study the 1st and 2nd Courts on Crimes against Children and Adolescents, in the Court of Pernambuco, with the participation of 17 subjects (judge, assessor, technicians and judicial analysts). Participant Observation, semi-structured interviews and focus group were all used for data collection, from which the content was then analyzed through meaning interpretation. RESULTS: the category of "penal culture" emerged in the discussions, along with their subcategories "crime prevention" and "prevention of harm". CONCLUSIONS: the accounts of the subjects revealed a dichotomy, characterizing a conflict between the tradition of the Courts and new laws, which covers the principles of full protection and absolute priority of children and adolescents. The concept of prevention of interfamilial sexual violence against children and adolescents must be expanded beyond the mere prevention of crime. Addressing this problem through prevention alone would require the Courts to adopt a penal modality which embraces the principles of full protection and absolute priority of children and adolescents.
Prevention and mitigation; Child advocacy; Sexual violence
