Política antimanicomial do Poder Judiciário brasileiro : o trabalho da(o) assistente social na Equipe de Avaliação e Acompanhamento de Medidas Terapêuticas aplicáveis às pessoas com transtorno mental em conflito com a lei (EAP) em Sergipe

Abstract

The research investigates the anti-asylum policy of the Brazilian judiciary. In this sense, the role of the social worker in the Evaluation and Monitoring Team for Therapeutic Measures Applicable to People with Mental Disorders in Conflict with the Law in Sergipe, a team created by the anti-asylum policy, is also understood. Among the specific objectives, we have: to historically understand the anti-asylum movement, the psychiatric reform in the Brazilian context, and the privatization of health services; to understand, through a historical perspective, madness, the construction of forensic psychiatric hospitals, and the implementation of the anti-asylum policy; to investigate the deinstitutionalization process through the work of the EAP (Equipe de Atenção Psicossocial - Psychosocial Care Team), the therapeutic measures in the deinstitutionalization process, the work of the EAP in Sergipe, the professional practice of the social worker in the EAP/SE (Sergipe), and the therapeutic practices in Social Work, contributions of the social worker in the elaboration of the PTS (Projeto Terapêutico Singular - Singular Therapeutic Project) as a way to potentiate deinstitutionalization. The research is exploratory in nature, with a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) using bibliographic research, documentary research, and primary sources. The research utilized historical-dialectical materialism, employing a methodology based on the principle of totality—going beyond appearances. One of the main findings of the research indicates that the stigma surrounding individuals serving security measures persists in society and impacts the deinstitutionalization process. Furthermore, it is evident that the RAPS (Brazilian Network for Psychosocial Care) is weakened precisely by the lack of investment from the public sector, given the neoliberal and ultra-neoliberal Brazilian governments that fragmented mental health policy. The research revealed the re-philanthropization of mental health services, a process in which public resources are channeled to philanthropic institutions, such as therapeutic communities, which are frequently denounced for practices that violate human rights. Furthermore, the underfunding of mental health policy weakens the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS), preventing it from adequately meeting the needs of people undergoing deinstitutionalization from psychiatric hospitals and other individuals with mental disorders in conflict with the law. The research argues that the treatment of these individuals should be carried out in the reference units of the RAPS (Rede de Atenção Psicossocial - Psychosocial Care Network), and not in philanthropic institutions, aiming to guarantee more humane and effective care. The research indicates that the work process of the social worker in the EAP requires an analysis that transcends mere expressions of the social issue, delving deeper into the complexities of society. This is justified because the data indicates that the individuals monitored by the EAP are predominantly men with mental disorders who have committed crimes, with domestic violence being the most frequent. Such a scenario points to the influence of structural systems, such as patriarchalism, which historically segregate certain groups and whose roots predate capitalism itself, profoundly impacting social relations and the lives of these individuals.