On confession, repentance, and responsibility in the Uruguayan juvenile justice system

Abstract The article debates the notion of responsibility regarding Judeo-Christian ideas confession and repentance used by professionals Uruguayan juvenile justice system. study follows a critical model qualitative studies through an empirical contextualized research process, based on discourse analysis sample case files interviews. Results show coexistence different theoretical-methodological conceptions among technicians, in which parental blame for adolescent offense prevails, search act committed associated with repentance, opposed to attitude patient listening person going adolescence, promoting reflexivity without adult impositions. conclusion is that, early secularized country like Uruguay, conception as synonym religious idea guilt, its correlates consequences judicially imposed forms punishment, perceived expiatory infraction penal law.