Majority of Brazilians Support Lowering the Age of Criminal Responsibility, Flávio Bolsonaro Makes It a Campaign Focus
A Datafolha survey shows 79% of Brazilians back reducing the age of criminal responsibility, with Flávio Bolsonaro making it a central campaign issue.
- • 79% of Brazilians support lowering the age of criminal responsibility, according to Datafolha.
- • Support is lowest since 2003 but remains strong across demographics and political groups.
- • The constitutional amendment to reduce the age cleared a key parliamentary committee with mostly right-wing support.
- • 61% of supporters want accountability for all crimes; 39% prefer limiting it to heinous crimes.
- • Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has made reducing the age a major part of his pre-campaign agenda.
Key details
A recent Datafolha survey published on June 25 reveals that 79% of Brazilians support lowering the age of criminal responsibility, marking a decline from previous years when support reached 84% in 2003 and 87% in 2015. This marks the lowest level of backing since the survey series began. The research, conducted with 2,004 participants across 139 municipalities between June 17 and 18, shows broad support across different demographics, with 81% of men and 77% of women in favor. Adults aged 25 to 44 show the highest support at 82%, while 69% of young people aged 16 to 24 also back the measure.
Poll results also indicate significant political divisions: 70% of voters who supported former President Lula favor the change, compared to 90% of Bolsonaro supporters. Within this context, 61% of those supporting the measure believe adolescents should be held criminally liable for any crime, whereas 39% think it should be limited to heinous crimes.
The proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility has gained traction politically, with the constitutional amendment recently approved by the Chamber of Deputies' Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ) by a vote of 44 to 18. All opposing votes came from left-leaning parties, which fear the amendment’s progress may present political challenges for the current Lula administration.
Prominently, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has made the reduction a key element of his pre-campaign strategy. He advocates for holding adolescents criminally responsible starting at 14 years of age for serious crimes, signaling a hardline stance that appeals strongly to his voter base.
Despite strong overall support, this development underscores a complex political and social debate about juvenile justice in Brazil, with ongoing tensions between government factions and public opinion reflecting nuanced views on the extent of minors’ criminal accountability.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
