This work is the result of a master's degree research project that analyzed the culpability of the family of adolescents in conflict with the law who are under open-ended socio-educational measures in the city of Ponta Grossa - PR. This is a study that looked at socio-legal aspects, articulating, quantitatively and qualitatively, the data collected from the records of adolescents in the PEMSE - Program for the Execution of Socio-Educational Measures in the Open Environment, in the city of Ponta Grossa - PR. Based on the analysis of the socio-legal context of the adolescents and their families, as well as interviews with professionals linked to the program for the execution of socio-educational measures, the research took an interesting turn, demystifying many stigmatizing discourses and presumptions regarding the responsibility of the family of adolescents who commit an infraction. The result led to something unexpected: an unusual outcome. Happy reading.