The Multidisciplinarity between Law and Psychology in the Repression of Infrational Acts: A Theoretical Study of the “Champinha” Case

Abstract

The cases of adolescents involved in crimes have been reported constantly, besides to being a serious Brazilian social problem. In order to deal with this situation, the law seeks to dialogue with other areas. This multidisciplinary communication has gone through old theoretical clashes regarding to adolescents in conflict with the law. This article aims to discuss how the Law System sustained on Psychiatry and Psychology to support the judicial decision in the emblematic “Champinha” case. The present article is characterized as a narrative review. For data collection, research was made in primary sources, in addition to research in scientific bibliographies that talked about the theme. The data show that, based on medical and psychiatric reports, the actions taken by the Courts violated the fundamental rights of the adolescent, because the civil interdiction combined with compulsory hospitalization of Champinha was granted. The paper concluded that although in the twentieth century there have been advances in the guarantees and rights of children and adolescents, this case showed how much, the State, based on medical and psychological knowledge, can make decisions that violate fundamental rights of adolescents in conflict with the law.