Senate approves bill lengthening juvenile correction stays

Brazil's Senate approved Tuesday (July 14) a bill submitted by Senator José Serra amending the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA) to allow longer juvenile detention times for juveniles who have committed the so-called “heinous” crimes, except in case of drug trafficking.

According to the bill, the maximum detention length for teenagers engaging in heinous offenses will be extended to ten years, from a current three. The offenders will be confined in separate detention facilities from other juvenile offenders or regular adult prisons.

“The new terms will apply to heinous crimes, drug trafficking not included – this is because an overwhelming majority of teenagers sent to correction programs over trafficking are merely mules,” Senator José Serra explained. The cases of juveniles in detention will be revised by a judge every six months. The current maximum age at which a teenager can be in detention, 21, will be raised to 27.

Also under the bill, the jail times for adults luring youth into crime will double. Moreover, all juvenile offenders in detention, regardless of offense severity, will be required to study at the youth detention centers until they complete vocational high school. Under the current provisions, only primary school is mandatory.

The draft approved by the Senate will now be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, and any changes will be referred back to Senate for review. The final document will be submitted to President Dilma Rousseff for sanctioning.

Translated by Mayra Borges