Brazilian Justice Minister: Jails are 'Schools for Criminals'

​ Sending minors to prison is unreasonable since many jails are overwhelmed by organized crime said Brazilian Minister of Justice Jose Eduardo Cardozo Tuesday in the House of Representatives.  

“Brazilian prisons are true schools for criminals, he said, where criminal organizations operate, ordering violence from outside.”

He reiterated that the proposed measure, which would amend the constitution and lower the age, would be counter-productive, and alternatives should be sought to address the issue of youth found guilty of murders and other serious crimes.

President of the Chamber Eduardo Cunha, who backs the legislation reducing criminal responsibility age, informed legislators will make a decision on June 30. If approved, he added, it will be submitted to a referendum in Oct. 2016 along with local elections, in order to avoid a presidential veto.

RELATED: Calls to Reduce the Age of Criminal Responsibility in Peru

Brazil’s prison population is the third highest rate of the world. Its prisons have contributed to the development of organized crime in the country. This was witnessed when the Red Command (Comando Vermelho) and the First Capital Command (PCC) were born in the prisons of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo respectively, according to an Insight Crime report in January 2014.

Various children's rights organizations, who oppose the legislation, met with the members of the Constitution and Justice Commission in March demanding more public investment in education and youth training instead of reducing the age of criminal liability.

Rights groups argued that the proposed measure had proven ineffective in reducing violence in other countries.. According to the estimate of the Brazilian Forum of Public Security, only four percent of homicides are committed by minors – in a country that holds one of the highest homicide rate of the world.