Thread by @rmotta2

Dear The Economist: clueless is your headline. The Brazilian criminal justice system has been dominated since the 80's by an increasingly stronger "progresive" streak. The results:

1. Cops are demonized and criminals are glorified in the media, newspapers and popular culture

https://twitter.com/TheEconomist/status/1134960918851457024

2. Penal law has been diluted to a point where criminals stay in jail only 1/6 of their sentences, then go back to the streets. If the crime is considered heinous, it's 2/5. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR CRIMINAL RECORD IS OR HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE ESCAPED FROM JAIL BEFORE.

3. Inmates receive financial support ("auxílio-reclusão"), have sex with visitors ("intimate visits"), spend 7 annual holidays out of jail, deduct a fews days of sentence for each book "read" and enjoy ample and unrestricted access to cellphones. Most prisons are run by gangs.

4. A criminal caught in the act is frequently relased right after, in the "custody hearings", whose only goal is to check the welfare of the criminal. The crime and the victim are of no concern.

In Rio de Janeiro, in the first quarter of 2017, 61% OF ALL CRIMINALS ARRESTED CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF COMITTING A CRIME WERE RELEASED RIGHT AFTER by the judges of the "custody hearings"

5. In the last 20 years, in Rio de Janeiro alone, around 3,000 police officers have been killed and 18,000 wounded. The casualty rate of the police in the Rio metropolitan area is 7 TIMES THE CASUALTY RATE OF AMERICAN FORCES IN VIETNAM.

6. Brazil has 57,000 murders last year (63,000 the previous year) and 70,000 people wounded by criminals. Only 8% of the murders are solved on average. Homicide rate is 30 per 100,000, second only in Latin America to crisis-torn Venezuela and 6 TIMES HIGHER THAN IN THE US.

7. Only in the state capitals 1,750,000 muggings have been recorded every year (and most people don't bother to report). That's 3 muggings every minute. Only 2% are ever solved.

8. Minors are not subject to penal law. Their acts - no matter how heinous - are not considered crimes: they are "infractions". Their harshest punishment is to stay in special "social recovery" institutions. After short periods they are released.

THE AVERAGE STAY FOR A TEENAGE MURDERER IN SOME CITIES IS 8 MONTHS.

9. Despite this state of affairs the criminal justice system is target of regular attacks by non-profits advocating the abolition of prison. Yes: open the prison's doors and never arrest anyone again. Several of these non-profits are financed with $ from overseas donations.

For the longest time we have a President we trust can start turning this gruesome wheel back. So, before you say anything about him or his policies, do your homework The Economist. Shame on you.

@ThreadReaderApp unroll