LEGAL EDUCATION AS A WAY TO PREVENT DEVIANT BEHAVIOR AMONG ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, as well as the current social, economic, legal, and environmental situation, have resulted in new dangers for children and adolescents. These dangers include a loss of a sense of social security and stability, a reduced ability to resist negative environmental impacts under martial law, and a loss of group affiliation and collective responsibility. As a result, minors may exhibit deviant behavior. Thus, one of the pressing issues in Ukraine is the implementation of planned and systematic preventive measures to address the problem of deviant behavior among minors. Legal education is an essential component of these preventive measures. The aim of this study is to analyze the role of legal education in preventing deviant behavior among adolescents. The article employs theoretical research methods, such as literature analysis, description of information sources, and generalization of theoretical provisions of legal education as a pedagogical problem. Additionally, empirical research methods such as document analysis and comparison of definitions on the research problem are used. The study results indicate that the prevention of deviant behavior among adolescents is complex and multifaceted. The success of prevention activities depends on their complexity, consistency, and promptness. The author analyzes the state of the problem of preventing deviant behavior among adolescents in the context of the conceptual foundations of legal education and its content. The study finds that the prevention of deviant behavior among adolescents involves economic, socio-cultural, and legal measures. Legal education can help prevent legal nihilism among the population. The study describes the main ways, forms, and methods of legal education aimed at preventing deviant behavior among adolescents and young people. The introduction of these ways, forms, and methods of legal education into the practice of preventing deviant behavior can help rationally unite social forces to combat various negative phenomena, leading to tangible results.