HomeNewsBriefBrazil Decides to Try Children as Adults for Violent Crimes
BRIEF

Brazil Decides to Try Children as Adults for Violent Crimes

BRAZIL / 2 JUL 2015 BY JAMES BARGENT EN

Brazil's House of Representatives has voted in favor of a bill that will see youths tried as adults, a controversial move that is unlikely to deter criminal groups from recruiting minors.

Just a day after rejecting a proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16, Brazil's Congress approved a watered down version of the bill with a vote of 323 in favor, 155 against and two abstentions, reported O Globo.

The new version of the bill no longer applies to cases of torture, drug trafficking and robbery, and now only covers violent crimes, reported Estadao.

The bill now faces a second vote in the House. If it passes, it will be sent to the Senate.

The proposed change has provoked fierce debate in Brazil. Its advocates -- including the bill's sponsor, right-wing congressman Laerte Bessa -- say it will end a culture of impunity that has fueled youth crime. Bessa told the Guardian he sees the bill as a first step, and that in the long run he expects Brazill will reach "a stage in which we are able to determine whether a child in the womb has criminal tendencies, and if it does the mother won't be allowed to give birth."

However, the bill has been heavily criticized by organizations and institutions ranging from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to Amnesty International.

InSight Crime Analysis

Putting aside the hardline, reactionary stance assumed by politicians like Bessa, there is nevertheless a certain logic to lowering the age of criminal responsibility. Latin America's organized crime groups are notorious for recruiting minors to work as drug couriers, hitmen, and look-outs, as they are unlikely to face severe penalties if caught.

However, the negative impact of allowing more juveniles to be tried as adults will far outweigh any positives. Such a move will only further stigmative youths who are already at a high risk of dying violently.

SEE ALSO: Brazil News and Profiles

Additionally, an influx of children would only exacerbate Brazil's overcrowded prisons, with as many as 40,000 additional inmates entering the system, according to estimates by Brazil's Justice Minister. The new law would also expose the children to hardened criminals, drawing them ever further into the underworld and increasing the risk of recidivism.

On top of it all, it is also unlikely the law will dissuade criminal groups from using minors. The lack of harsher sentences isn't the only reason why gangs recruit children -- they are seen as disposable; easily discarded and replaced at little cost to the organization. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BRAZIL / 16 JUN 2021

Rio de Janeiro’s foremost militia leader has been gunned down by police, potentially shattering the belief that militias in the…

BRAZIL / 27 JAN 2022

Residents in Rio de Janeiro's marginalized favelas are contending with yet another massive police operation promising to deliver a true…

BRAZIL / 4 JAN 2023

East and Southern Africa are receiving much larger cocaine shipments from South America than previously imagined.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.