Youths interned in Sao Paulo (1934-1950): notes for a genealogical analysis of disciplinary institutions and social control

From a sociological and historical perspective, we seek to recover aspects of the dynamics of social control, internment and punishment of young people (at the time characterized as "minors") in the first half of the twentieth century in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The main research sources used are the records of the Social Service for the Assistance and Protection of Minors of Sao Paulo, from 1934 and 1950, explored through document analysis techniques. Some mechanisms used by operators and interns in the construction of institutional life were identified. It was observed the existence of an association of reinforcements, present in the judicial sentences, in the double key 'abandonment' and 'delinquency', as well as in their institutional political response, which involved both a network of institutions of a 'social' nature, and others focused on internment and discipline. This double key was a constant presence in the documents, the evaluation of 'achievement' and 'behavior' were central in institutional life according to the disciplinary logic adopted.