the frame.
Society is increasingly alarmed at juvenile delinquency cases, the political class fails to agree a response.
By Martin Aguirre
Jordan Brown was a child as anyone. At age 11, lived with his father, Chris, the new woman in this and two sisters in a rural area of \u200b\u200bPennsylvania. But one morning in February 2009 the little Jordan got up, went to the closet of his father, took his hunting rifle and shot him in the head by his stepmother, 8 months pregnant while he slept. Then she went to school as usual. The case has generated much controversy over the bloody the fact, for the coolness shown by a small 11 years and above all, because the laws of Pennsylvania, the world's toughest juvenile crime may end up sentencing him to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.
With its nuances, the discussion on the legal treatment of juvenile offenders is installed in much of the world. From Argentina to England, Spain Uruguay, people ask the same questions, at what age a person starts to become aware of their actions? When you can make it legally responsible for them? Are more and more young offenders and violent? In our country the issue is of particular severity. A cocktail that mixes marginality, demographic, and ideological complexes has led to living an explosive situation.
Although this is difficult to find solid data to gauge the extent of the problem. Even the official figures on the number of crimes featuring minors are accepted unanimously. On the one hand, data released by the Colorado Congressman Germain Cardoso based on figures from the Ministry of Interior, indicated that 50% of violent crimes are committed by minors, which would be also responsible for up to 100 homicides a year. That is why the sector is promoting a controversial amendment to the Code on Children, voted under President Jorge Batlle, to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 16 years. A claim that seems to have strong base in society. According to a 2009 survey, 42% of Uruguayans favored reducing it to 14 years and 28% to 16. Only 24% think it should continue in 18.
This view finds strong resistance in several areas. Defense agencies of childhood as UNICEF, disbelieve the official figures, and argue that it is a "chill" media-fed. Judges and operators are moving in the field of juvenile justice majority hold that a legal change, whether lowering the age of accountability and enabling the retention of records of juveniles once they reach 18 (the Code requires destroying ) will not change anything. They claim that the number of children is not as big problem (about a 300) but the problem is in the inpatient, which do not fulfill their function reeducation, and are "strainers" where children run away when they want .
Reality seems to give Part of the reason. The situation of juvenile detention centers is often in the headlines, and never for good causes. Overcrowding, lack of funds, trade union problems and permanent leak, are the daily bread. A problem also appears to have been effectively ever faced by the political system. Beyond the permanent (and somewhat ridiculous) name changes of organisms, the only moment that seemed to be taking a serious step for routing when the system was entrusted with the leadership of Father Matthew Mendez INAU. But after a short period that had clashes with officials, the chief resigned due to lack of political support.
But the side of those calling for more rigor there are strong arguments. The Code of the Child has aspects of a guarantor almost naive, such as not criminalize attempts or the misdeeds. And trying to attribute the entire problem to a kind of media campaign, it hardly seems credible. It is also true that most countries worldwide are lowering the age of accountability, and that 18 years from now, are not the same as 30 or 40 years.
But above all these arguments, there is an underlying theme alarm. While the problem of juvenile offenders has deep social roots, and will not improve overnight by a change in the law, positions causalist contain extreme danger. Public alarm that exists on this subject is authentic and that since the government does not give clear signals that something is being done to address the problem, society is likely to react by resorting to heavy-handed who offer at any price. And in those cases, usually ends up being the cure worse than the disease.
Sentence.
"The attempted theft is a potato for anyone under: if you eat well, otherwise nothing happens because the police have to release him." (Attorney Gustavo Zubia)
I. The data Chile
criminal responsibility lowered to 14 years but there is a project to bring it to 12 because youth crime did not fall as expected.
The data II.
Costa Rica has the toughest legislation in the region, decreased juvenile crime figures, and is the country with less under detention.
El Pais Digital
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