Brazil's Lula against tougher laws for young criminals
Source: Reuters
By Renata de Freitas and Andrea Welsh SAO PAULO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday he opposed stricter laws for juvenile delinquents, despite a public outcry sparked by a crime wave involving teenagers. At least 15 people have been killed in the past week in clashes between police and gangs in Rio's slums. And a 6-year-old boy was dragged through Rio under the wheels of the speeding stolen vehicle that killed him. One of the carjackers was a teenager. Newspapers, lawyers and community groups called for immediate action to curb violence and demanded longer sentences for young criminals. Criminals under the age of 18 are sent to juvenile detention centers and serve far shorter sentences than adults. Lula said he was opposed to reducing the age at which delinquents charged with heinous crimes can be tried as adults. "If we reduce the age to 16 years, tomorrow they'll be asking for 15, then 10, and then one day, who knows, they'll even want to punish a fetus if they knew what will happen in the future," Lula said. Under public pressure, the Chamber of Deputies in Congress passed five new anti-crime measures this week, including longer sentences in high-security prisons. The Senate is also considering crime bills. Lula said he was "anxious and upset" by last week's violence, but insisted the state should not make decisions based on emotions. Lula added that the Brazilian state and the country's 190 million inhabitants shared responsibility for the lack of opportunities its youth had. "I ask myself whether it would be fair to punish only those that committed (such) barbarities" Lula said.
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