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The article aims to examine two urban security measures implemented in Rio de Janeiro, targeting young people in situations of social vulnerability. The first, the Resolução 20 (Resolution 20), was a measure directed at individuals living on the streets, including children and adolescents, and was in effect from 2011 to 2016. The second, the Operação Verão (Operation Summer), is still in place at the city’s main beaches and involves patrolling these areas on weekends, with a particular focus on young people residing in the favelas and outskirts. Despite their differing forms, both measures seek to remove from urban spaces a category of youth perceived as a threat to society. This group is often classified as “at risk”, and based on this justification, the state has implemented measures aimed at addressing youth vulnerability, which, in turn, further exacerbates their exclusion and criminalization. However, the alleged state of risk seems to serve as a pretext for keeping these young people away from urban areas. The article draws on semi-structured interviews with key informants and ethnographic observations conducted through street units, in collaboration with two third-sector organizations working with children and adolescents living on the streets. 

This contribution is published in Italian in Rassegna Italiana di Criminologia, XVIII, 4, 2024, and is available for download here.