Body and subjectivity in the institutional governance of youth confinement

En este trabajo se analizan los discursos y las prácticas institucionales que moldean la intervención sobre adolescentes detenidos por causas penales en un centro de privación de libertad en Argentina durante el año 2009. Se trata de un abordaje cualitativo a partir de fuentes secundarias (reglamentaciones y normativas) y fuentes primarias (entrevistas a jóvenes y personal institucional y registros de campo de observación no participante). El objetivo fue caracterizar el despliegue de las prácticas institucionales que estructuran la pena privativa de libertad a partir de 3 dimensiones: los rituales institucionales, la gestión de los cuerpos y la construcción de subjetividades. Una de las principales conclusiones señala que allí se promueve un modelo de pedagogía de la subordinación, a través de la prevalencia de medidas de seguridad asociadas a la "peligrosidad" de los jóvenes, que limita sustancialmente los preceptos protectorios y educativos que legitiman formalmente el uso de medidas privativas de libertad. El análisis del modelo emergente en la gestión del encierro (principalmente a partir de la implementación de legislación acorde al modelo de Protección Integral de Derechos) aporta elementos relevantes para debatir el vínculo del sistema penal con los derechos humanos en general y de niños y adolescentes en particular.  In this paper we analyze the discourses and institutional practices that shape the intervention on adolescents detained for criminal cases in a detention center in Argentina in 2009. This is a qualitative approach from secondary sources (rules and regulations) and primary sources (interviews young people and institutional personnel and field records participant observation). The objective was to characterize the deployment of institutional practices that structure imprisonment from 3 dimensions: institutional rituals, managing the construction of bodies and subjectivities. One of the main conclusions is that it promotes a model of pedagogy of subordination, through the prevalence of security measures associated with the "danger" of young people, substantially limiting protection and educational precepts formally legitimize the use of custodial of freedom. The analysis of the emerging model in the management of confinement (primarily from the implementation of legislation according to the model of Integral Protection of Rights) provides relevant elements for debate on the penal system link with human rights in general and children and adolescents in particular

Jóvenes y control penal

Este trabajo presenta la triangulación de fuentes de datos secundarias sobre agencias penales y jóvenes en el ámbito metropolitano de Buenos Aires, Argentina. La propuesta es la de problematizar los múltiples atravesamientos punitivos que forman parte de la regulación de los sectores jóvenes pobres en el marco del gobierno de la inseguridad social del neoliberalismo. Estos rasgos del orden social dominante y su sentido estructural adquieren aun mayor relevancia en un contexto en el que se reavivan los discursos peligrosistas sobre los más jóvenes y se activan propuestas de avance punitivo, paradójicamente en nombre de las garantías y los derechos.Fil: López, Ana Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires

Inmigración en tiempos de crisis : dinámicas de movilidad emergentes y nuevos impactos sociales

Background of INCASI Project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015 GA 691004. WP1: Compilatio

Quality of life, functional impairment and social factors as determinants of nutritional status in older adults: the VERISAÚDE study

[Abstract] Background & aims. Malnutrition is an important and growing health problem in elderly people. The main aim of this research was to examine the relationship between socio-demographic factors, social resources, functional status and quality of life and malnutrition or risk of malnutrition in elders. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 749 community-dwelling elders aged 65 years and over. A comprehensive assessment was carried out, including the collection of socio-demographic factors, social resources by the Older Americans Resources and Services Scale, nutritional status by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, functional status by the Lawton's instrumental activities of daily living scale and quality of life by the World Health Organizations's Quality of Life measure-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF). Results. Being female, the presence of totally impaired social resources and low scores in the physical health domain of the WHOQOL-BREF were the strongest determinants of malnutrition/risk of malnutrition. This model predicted 85.7% of the cases correctly. In men, the best determinants were being unmarried and having poor satisfaction with their health, with a percentage of 89.8% of cases of poor nutritional status correctly predicted. The best determinant for women was also the physical health domain of the WHOQOL-BREF, reaching a correct prediction of 83.0% of malnutrition/risk of it. Conclusions. Nutritional status assessment and potential determinant factors should be incorporated as part of comprehensive assessments for early identification of malnutrition and to determine appropriate intervention strategies to address this public health problem in older adults.Xunta de Galicia; EM 2012/10

La "cuestión" penal juvenil

En este trabajo se propone reponer la problematización en torno a la “cuestión" penal juvenil a partir del recorrido histórico del andamiaje de castigo especializado sobre jóvenes, una sistematización sintética de las investigaciones y producciones recientes en torno a los debates sobre jóvenes y penalidad y finalmente una propuesta de enfoque analítico conceptual que recupera los aportes de la economía política de la pena. El objetivo del trabajo es proponer un mapa de las principales discusiones, conceptos e ideas que circulan en torno al sistema penal para personas menores de edad, nociones que acuñan una “cuestión" en torno a estos asuntos.Fil: López, Ana Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires

Privación de libertad: ¿última ratio para quienes? : El encierro preventivo y los coletazos de la defensa social sobre sectores juveniles

Los nuevos Regímenes de Responsabilidad Penal Juvenil suponen que la privación de libertad (último y más duro eslabón del castigo penal) debería resultar una medida excepcional, de último recurso y por el mínimo tiempo posible para los más jóvenes (UNICEF, 2007; Beloff, 1998; Cillero Bruñol, 2000). Por ello, el análisis cuantitativo empírico del despliegue de la cadena punitiva sobre dicho grupo desde el inicio del proceso de actualización legislativa permite hacer visibles las distancias entre la norma jurídica y su aplicación, lo cual expresa la resolución de las tensiones entre demandas punitivas y principios de mínima intervención. A modo de adelanto de conclusiones, puede afirmarse que, a contrapelo del principio de privación de libertad como medida de última ratio, a partir de la puesta en marcha de la ley 13.634, la cantidad de adolescentes privados de libertad en la PBA se ha incrementado. Asimismo, en este período se ha recrudecido el régimen de encierro, disminuyendo la cantidad de jóvenes en régimen semi-cerrado y aumentando a la par la de jóvenes en régimen de máxima seguridad. Con clausuras de algunos de los lugares de encierro por las deficientes condiciones de detención, las instituciones cerradas han trabajado “a tope” y con sobrepoblación durante todo el período, mientras que el régimen de semi-libertad ha estado permanentemente sub-ocupado.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Contemplar desde los contornos: agencia judicial y centros de detención para jóvenes

Este trabajo analiza las perceciones de los operadores judiciales del fuero penal juvenil de la provincia de Buenos Aires sobre los centros de detención donde permanecen los jóvenes que defienden, acusan o juzgan. Se trata de un abordaje cualitativo de tipo exploraotrio a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas. El objetivo central fue el de definir algunos ejes problemáticos en torno a la mirada judicial sobre el encierro, ubicando en esta tarea puntos de coincidencia y de tensión en el entramado de tales representaciones

Sex-Differences in Health-Related Characteristics of Senior Center Users: The VERISAÚDE Study

[Abstract] Background: We explored sex-related differences in sociodemographic, medical, psychological, and functional conditions in older adults attending to senior citizens’ centers. Materials and Methods: An exploratory study was conducted as part of the VERISAÚDE project, a cross-sectional population-based study of individuals aged ≥65 years enrolled in senior community centers located in Galicia, Northwest of Spain (n = 749). A comprehensive gerontological evaluation was used to assess the social, medical, psychological, and functional characteristics of the sample. Results: Women presented a higher prevalence of frailty (p = 0.017), a higher risk of malnutrition (p = 0.029), more medication consumption (p = 0.002), and polypharmacy (p = 0.008), higher depressive scores (p = 0.007), and lower cognitive scores (p = 0.045) than men, who showed a higher prevalence of hearing impairment (p = 0.034), toxic habits (all ps = 0.0001), and comorbidity (p = 0.002), and better quality of life (p = 0.030), and social resources (p = 0.002). Participants considered that attending and being involved in senior centers has a positive influence on their health and promotes successful aging. Discussion: Important differences were found between women and men in health variables, suggesting that sex exerts a powerful influence on health status in older age. These differences should be identified and taking into account when designing interventions to promote active aging and to improve the quality of life of older adults. Taking a sex perspective during the evaluation process could lead to a higher number of older people being effectively treated in clinical practice.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2017/49Xunta de Galicia; ED431F 2017/09Xunta de Galicia; IN607C 2016/08Xunta de Galicia; EM 2012/100-VERISAÚDE ProjectThis work was supported by the Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2017/49, ED431F 2017/09, FrailNet network IN607C 2016/08, and EM 2012/100-VERISAÚDE Project: Effectiveness of the Comprehensive Gerontological Assessment and longitudinal follow-up in the healthy aging promotion). LL-L is supported by the “Ramon y Cajal” Postdoctoral Senior Grant (RYC-2015-18394) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, co-financed by the European Social Fun

Changes in frailty status in a community-dwelling cohort of older adults: the VERISAÚDE study

[Abstract] Objectives: Greater understanding of changes in the degree of frailty is important for clarifying the natural history of frailty and may help clinical decision-making regarding preventive interventions. The objectives of this study were to explore natural frailty transition rates at 1-year follow-up and to identify the main determinants of such transitions. Study design: Prospective longitudinal study covering a representative sample of community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years (n = 749) at baseline, and transition information at 1-year follow-up (n = 537). Mean outcome measures: The assessment of frailty status was based on phenotypic criteria (unintentional weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slow walking speed, low physical activity). Frailty transitions (progressed, regressed, no change, or death) and associated factors were assessed. Results: Most participants remained unchanged from their baseline status (57.1% non-frail, 83.4% pre-frail, 66.7% frail). Regarding frailty transitions, 42.9% of non-frail older adults at baseline had progressed to a pre-frail status by the 1-year follow-up, and 7.9% of pre-frail older adults had become frail. Importantly, 33.3% of frail older adults regressed to a pre-frail status and 8.7% of pre-frail adults had regressed to a non-frail status. Non-frail females tended to progress to pre-frailty significantly more than males (p = 0.006), and mortality was higher among participants classified as frail at baseline (10.7%). Logistic regression showed that the main determinants of worsening frailty were hearing impairment (OR 3.180; 95% CI 1.078–9.384), congestive heart failure (OR 10.864; 95% CI 1.379–85.614), and polypharmacy (OR 2.572, 95% CI 1.096–6.037). Conclusion: Our results confirm the dynamic of frailty and the bidirectional nature of frailty transitions, and indicate the need for preventing and treating these conditions in later life in order to minimize the burden of frailty.Xunta de Galicia; EM 2012/100Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2017/49Xunta de Galicia; IN607C, 2016/0

Clinical and Neuropsychological Correlates of Prefrailty Syndrome

[Abstract] Physical frailty is closely associated with cognitive impairment. We aim to investigate the neuropsychological profiles of prefrail and non-frail dementia-free community-dwelling older adults using a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, and to examine the association between specific frailty criteria and clinical and neuropsychological scores. Participants completed a comprehensive standardized neuropsychological evaluation (covering cognitive domains such as memory, executive functions, language and attention), and frailty assessment. Frailty was assessed according to biological criteria: unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slowness, and weakness. The sample comprised 60 dementia-free community-dwelling adults, aged 65 years or older (range 65–89 years; 60.0% women). Forty-two participants were classified as robust (no frailty criteria present), and 18 as prefrail (1 or 2 frailty criteria present). We explored neurocognitive differences between the groups and examined the association between specific criteria of frailty phenotype and clinical and neuropsychological outcomes with bivariate tests and multivariate models. Prefrail participants showed poorer cognitive performance than non-frail participants in both memory and non-memory cognitive domains. However, delayed episodic memory was the only cognitive subdomain that remained significant after controlling for age, gender, and educational level. Gait speed was significantly associated with general cognitive performance, immediatememory, and processing speed, while grip strength was associated with visual episodic memory and visuoconstructive abilities. Both gait speed and grip strength were negatively associated with depressive scores. Our results suggest that prefrailty is associated with cognitive dysfunction. The fact that specific cognitive domains may be susceptible to subclinical states of physical frailty may have important clinical implications. Indeed, early detection of specific cognitive dysfunctions may allow opportunities for reversibility.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2017/49Xunta de Galicia; ED431F 2017/0