Brazilian President Lula Supports Lowering Age of Criminal Responsibility to 16

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced his support for reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 for heinous crimes, marking a major policy shift just ahead of the country's presidential runoff election.

Lula revealed his new position during a Thursday night interview with TV Globo, reversing a long-held stance maintained by himself and his party. The announcement comes as he trails far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the polls following a first-round election where Bolsonaro secured a lead of 2.2 million votes.

Shift on Public Security Policy

The policy change follows recent opinion polls indicating that 80% of the Brazilian public favors lowering the age of criminal responsibility. When asked if he supported reducing the age to 16, Lula confirmed his agreement, stating that as a Brazilian citizen, he favors lowering the age for any heinous crime.

Under Brazilian law, heinous crimes encompass offences such as murder, rape, medicine falsification, and drug trafficking. Approximately one-quarter of the 816,000 individuals incarcerated in Brazil are serving sentences for drug trafficking offences.

Opponents of the policy, including Flávio Bolsonaro and former president Jair Bolsonaro, have previously advocated for lowering the age of criminal responsibility even further, to 14.

Criticism and Campaign Strategy

Human rights organizations, security experts, and the Episcopal Conference of Brazil have expressed opposition to lowering the criminal age. The Catholic bishops' organization cautioned that placing youth into Brazil's overcrowded prison system fails to address the root causes of violence and risks deepening exclusion while encouraging recruitment into organized crime.

The announcement coincides with broader efforts by Lula's campaign to appeal to independent and undecided voters before the final vote. His recent measures include securing congressional approval for a shorter working week, enacting debt relief for microentrepreneurs, and promising free public transit on weekends.