Adolescentes infractores de ley penal en el área metropolitana de Bucaramanga, Colombia: lineamientos para su prevención

This article presents guidelines for the prevention of the involvement of adolescents with infractions of the criminal law in the Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga (AMB). To this end, a situational diagnosis was prepared using a mixed methodology, which included the review of databases of the National Police (PONAL) and the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), in order to understand the characteristics of the phenomenon and its evolution between 2010 and 2017. Likewise, to inquire about the explanatory variables and define the strategic axes of prevention, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were carried out with officials and adolescents linked to the Criminal Responsibility System for Adolescents (SRPA) of the Santander region, and observation visits to the neighborhoods of the AMB with greater georeferencing of juvenile offenders. The results make visible the need for local governments to focus their efforts on five axes: 1) Addiction Control, 2) Family Reconfiguration, 3) Social Reconfiguration, 4) Job Opportunities and 5) Educational Commitment.