Public PhD Defense of Elisabete Pessanha

Elisabete Pessanha, a PhD candidate in the Doctoral Program in Psychology, will defend the thesis titled "A relação entre a psicologia e o direito nas decisões judiciais no âmbito de processos tutelares educativos: perspetivas de magistrados e técnicos". The public defense is scheduled for May 26, 2025, 10:30 at Sala de Provas, B327 (Building 4) of Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon.

Information about online participation and any updates should be consulted at Iscte's website.

Abstract:

Considering the relevance of collaborative work in the juvenile justice system for young people undergoing educational proceedings, this dissertation aimed to understand the relationship between psychology (and other social sciences) and law in judicial decisions within the context of juvenile justice system. For this purpose, a document analysis of 30 judicial cases and 24 individual interviews with magistrates (n=12) and social technicians (n=12) from the Directorate General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP) was conducted. The thematic analysis carried out highlights the following main results: 1) the social report and/or psychological assessment as crucial tools to support informed judicial decision-making; 2) a broad appreciation of the role of social workers; 3) the importance of collaborative practices in enhancing the quality of educational interventions. Despite some limitations that can be identified, this dissertation contributes to the literature on juvenile justice by demonstrating the importance of inter-institutional collaborative work and the contributions of technical assessments in judicial decision-making aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of the Portuguese juvenile justice system, which is crucial for ensuring the rights of young offenders.

Members of the jury:

• Ricardo Gonçalves Barroso (Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro)

• Sónia Caridade (Universidade do Minho)

• Eunice Magalhães (Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)

• Joana Alexandre (Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa)