Lowering the Age of Criminal Responsibility: myths and justifications.

Abstract

This article deals with the various justifications for the proposal of lowering the age of criminal responsibility currently present in the public discourse in Brazilian society. It intends to show that the arguments used are, sometimes, naïve proposals for very complex problems. In some other cases they are not based in solid information or are rooted in a neo-conservative response to contemporary conflicts. The article deals with the complexity of violence in which Brazilian youth is involved, demonstrating how inefficient and contradictory the proposal of lowering the age of criminal responsibility is.