{"id":4489,"date":"2015-01-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.conectas.org.inf.br\/wp\/noticias\/off-on-the-wrong-foot\/"},"modified":"2018-01-19T19:34:02","modified_gmt":"2018-01-19T19:34:02","slug":"off-on-the-wrong-foot","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/off-on-the-wrong-foot\/","title":"Off on the wrong foot","content":"

The first statement made by Yousseff Abou Chahin as head of the S\u00e3o Paulo Civil Police, defending longer sentences for young offenders, has been harshly criticized by human rights organizations. During the inauguration ceremony this Monday, January 5, in the presence of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s new Public Security Secretary, Alexandre de Moraes, and the also recently appointed Military Police Commander, Ricardo Gambaroni, Chanin declared that minors \u201chave a license to kill\u201d.<\/p>\n

But according to information<\/u><\/a> from Senasp (National Public Security Department), adolescents aged 16 to 18 are responsible for just 0.9% of crimes in Brazil. Considering only murder and attempted murder, this figure falls to 0.5%.<\/p>\n

As far as Conectas is concerned, Chahin\u2019s position is indicative of a tendency by the new security officials to lengthen the time spent by young offenders in state custody. It also indicates their interest in solving problems with detention rather than expanding social welfare policies, in particular for black youth from poor neighborhoods \u2013 the main victims of violence.<\/p>\n

Data released<\/u><\/a> on the same day (January 5) by the Brazilian Public Security Forum reveal that, between 2007 and 2012, the number of murders of black youths increased 21.3% (the figure for white youths was down 5.5%). The report also identified that, of the nearly 30,000 young people murdered in 2012, 76.5% were black.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a dangerous discourse, which will probably incite violence among civil and military police officers against young offenders. And it is an affront to the Child and Adolescent Act,\u201d said Marcos Fuchs, associate director of Conectas. \u201cKeeping young people detained for longer will never reduce violence. Claiming that violence is caused by young people is another absurdity. S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s new police chief has got off on the wrong foot,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Recent data<\/u><\/a> from the Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic show that S\u00e3o Paulo, which is home to 36% of the Brazilian prison population, is the state with the fourth highest rate of youth incarceration – of people aged between 18 and 29 – in the adult system (1,044 for every 100,000 inhabitants). According to the same data, 38% of S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s prisoners are in this age bracket and 75% of the children and adolescents serving sentences are detained at Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Casa<\/em> youth reform centers.<\/p>\n

Listen below to an interview with Marcos Fuchs, associate director of Conectas, on the statements made by the new S\u00e3o Paulo police chief:<\/p>\n