Dangerous turning point for Brazil

Looks like the trend is catching on! Another young bandit was lashed to a power pole in Itajaí - SC. He was punched and kicked by the angry mob until bloody.

With the number of young offenders in this country, if this really catches on the utility companies are going to have to install more poles everywhere!

They should put power lines underground anyway.

Ever heard of lynching? 

wjwoodward wrote:

[img align=c]http://s2.glbimg.com/uvyv8UGAyNU1yY9EsxbtQfqJ02w=/620x465/s.glbimg.com/jo/g1/f/original/2014/02/13/foto_2_1.jpg[/url]Looks like the trend is catching on! Another young bandit was lashed to a power pole in Itajaí - SC. He was punched and kicked by the angry mob until bloody.

With the number of young offenders in this country, if this really catches on the utility companies are going to have to install more poles everywhere!

This is how Earthians adapt to alarming levels of overpopulation.
It's just an evolutionary process James.

Hi John,

I personally think it's more a case of de-evolution, they're going backwards here!

Cheers,
James

wjwoodward wrote:

Hi John,

I personally think it's more a case of de-evolution, they're going backwards here!

Cheers,
James

Throughout the past 6,000 years of appearing & disappearing civilizations, lawbreakers have been destroyed in many brutal ways to eliminate the offender and scare / educate the public.

In Romania's Transylvania region they were impaling criminals and let them die slowly in public in the 1400's.  The story and one picture with impalled ones can be seen at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_impaler

I wonder for how long the two guys in your pictures remained tied to the post. Perhaps setting them free only after they soiled on themselves thoroughly is a good retribution.
They certainly went through a death scare, but after 3-4 more such street justice punishments they will get used to them.

It's amazing that public opinion is so strong now that such acts are possible.  Watch for them to become the norm.

As such, it's nothing new, just a repetition of historic public outrage. Police cannot do anything to jail all the thieves, or to stop the citizens from taking the law in their own hands.

When do you reckon similar public revenge acts are going to be seen in USA? 

Just an update.........   and one very typical of Brazil

The young offender pictured in the very first photograph, shackled to a signpost with a bicycle lock was re-arrested again last Wednesday participating in a blitz robbery attack of tourists on the beach in Copacabana. Seems like he didn't learn his lesson the first time around.

Too bad the police didn't leave him shackled there a little while longer, at least long enough for the message to have really sunk in!

I'm thinking that there is going to be a dramatic rise in the sale of bicycle locks, while the sales figures for bikes will remain relatively unchanged. LOL

wjwoodward wrote:

.........  I'm thinking that there is going to be a dramatic rise in the sale of bicycle locks, while the sales figures for bikes will remain relatively unchanged. LOL

Yes, James, even if not dramatic, a rise in sales of bicycle locks is expected.  It can be used as a legal defense tool. 

By the way, what do you think could be done to recalcitrant recidivists?

Here in Brazil? Absolutely nothing if they're minors. The laws here give them total impunity and the Brazilian Senate just the other day vetoed 5 separate Constitutional Amendment Projects to lower the age of Penal Majority to 16, despite that fully 93% of the Brazilian population wants just that. Unfortunately, Brazil is just a democracy in name only.

wjwoodward wrote:

Here in Brazil? Absolutely nothing if they're minors. The laws here give them total impunity and the Brazilian Senate just the other day vetoed 5 separate Constitutional Amendment Projects to lower the age of Penal Majority to 16, despite that fully 93% of the Brazilian population wants just that. Unfortunately, Brazil is just a democracy in name only.

There are public defense systems which are not tightened up enough to flush dirt out of the system.

Do yourself a favor James, and go to a blood testing lab and ask the owner to let you see blood cells under the microscope after everybody went home for the day.
You will be amazed to see under your very eyes how the red cells DEVOUR the intruders, the bad cells which attack the natural harmony of blood flow.
This is God at work.

In similar fashion, laws for major crimes, including recidivists, must be absolute.
We cannot do exceptions when Mother Nature provides our red blood cells with subtle defense mechanisms to always fight offending white cells and when Mother Nature makes absolutely no exception to the rules.
I wonder if there is a recidivist who cleansed his mind as much as to become a Nobel laureate ...     Is there any? 

I wonder if you had been lucky to see what Mother Nature does under the microscope, and if what you saw was in fact red blood fighting.

It's a fantastic, true battle with winners and losers, and so it should be between us and serial offenders.
They truly are NOT NEEDED, and everybody who decays to the low level of becoming an offender should not wonder at all what he gets. 

Unfortunately here in Brazil, the very worst of the worst criminals are our politicians. This is why we have been waiting for decades for significant reforms to the Penal Code. They're not about to create new laws that will ensnare them too.

As far as recidivists goes, it is EXTREMELY RARE that when any criminal is arrested anywhere in Brazil that it's his/her first offense. We've got young offenders (juvenile delinquents) who've been arrested 15 times for stealing cars, 5 times for murder, adults that have a rap sheet that stretched out on the floor for meter after meter. Multiple charges of homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, yet they've been put back out on the street in very short order to continue their criminal ways.

This country is beyond hope in terms of public security, I'm afraid.

Cheers,

I hope you will buy a bicycle lock this week and carry it around your shoulder as a powerful deterrent lucky charm ...  Maybe you start a trend ...

John C. wrote:

I hope you will buy a bicycle lock this week and carry it around your shoulder as a powerful deterrent lucky charm ...  Maybe you start a trend ...

Very good point, a bike lock makes a great self-defense tool.

Sounds like a winning idea to me. I might even go to the trouble of having a T-shirt printed up saying... "Advertência para Bandido - Eu nem tenho bicicleta, a trava é pra VOCÊ!" (Warning for Bandits - I don't even have a bike, the lock is for YOU!)

This makes it's sound like Brazil is very dangerous and criminals are free to do what they want! I read  in other articles you say how safe it is then I read your posts now! Which is it?

Very sad to say it, but everything in this article is essentially true. I would only add one comment: while part of the population has indeed reached the limit of its patience, another very large part, perhaps the majority, is quite unresponsive to the situation, quite accomodated to it in fact. After returning to Brazil in 2004, following 40 years abroad, this lack of concern already struck me then, it strikes me even more so now that things have worsened instead of improving.
Thanks for a very opportune article.

I know that sometimes being a vigilante, in a society of laws might not be the way to go. But that said when the laws no longer protect the innocent you have to stand up for your own protection. The police state mentality usually is the result of attempts by government to protect it citizens but their motive is control not justice.  Thus you have police breaking the constitution and the rights of a free person guaranteed these rights by his creator. It has been very gradual thing in the US, but there also is an emerging police state. They use the guise of protecting our citizens while your freedoms are being stripped. Be careful what you wish for. You may get a tyranny instead of just laws.  Politicians are the same in the US as they are in Brazil they are only interested in securing power for themselves.

Hi rc206,

The crime rates here are much much higher than in the USA and Canada. That said, there's no place on earth that's truly safe anymore.

If you religiously follow all the safety tips I've posted in "A Gringo's Survival Guide to Brazil" at the top of the first forum page, you will likely never have any MAJOR problem here in Brazil. I've been here over 12 years now and, knock on wood, never had any trouble.

Crimes here are usually crimes of opportunity, so if you don't make yourself a target by doing something stupid like counting a wad of money out in public you'll be OK. The really violent crimes, murders, kidnappings, etc., are generally the bandits and drug traffickers settling scores between themselves. So if you don't do drugs, don't hang out with bandits and traffickers you're not likely to be the victim of violent crime unless you're carjacked or kidnapped.

Don't be too worried...... but yes, crime is really out of control here because the criminal justice system has been broken for decades and there is absolutely no political will to fix it.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Thanks James. I guess it's like my dad always said. It's all about who you hangout with. Where you hangout and at what time. 

The comments have taken an ominous turn. History is full of examples of "Man's inhumanity to man." I'm all for "Law and Order', But I don't want some trigger happy self appointed overlord deciding my fate nor do I want to put myself in the position of having to watch both the "good guys" and the "bad guys"

BTW, Vlad the impaler was the model for the vampire monster and he created that persona to terrify possible enemies on the borders of his country. He had no problem sticking innocent people on those posts just to keep them filled with very slowly dying reminders of his 'inhumanity"

We are after all Expats. We should be wiser, not just wise-guys.

Unfortunately this is what happens when the elected government refuses to work for the people who elected them. They stubbornly refuse to make any significant changes to the Penal Code or Juvenile laws, the Senate just voted down 5 Constitutional Amendment Proposals to reduce the age of Penal Majority to 16 despite the fact that 93 percent of the population wants that. So we have a government that leave the general population completely unprotected and is creating a whole nation of would-be Vlad the Impalers just to protect themselves.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

wjwoodward wrote:

Unfortunately this is what happens when the elected government refuses to work for the people who elected them. They stubbornly refuse to make any significant changes to the Penal Code or Juvenile laws, the Senate just voted down 5 Constitutional Amendment Proposals to reduce the age of Penal Majority to 16 despite the fact that 93 percent of the population wants that. So we have a government that leave the general population completely unprotected and is creating a whole nation of would-be Vlad the Impalers just to protect themselves.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Hello James,

I only want to add three points.

1). Only persons who have been mugged or victims of any violence should talk and post comments, not the wishful thinkers.

2). If the number of criminals or their violence level increases, that is normal competition among them.
Also, citizens are guilty of indifference or too a little interest in responding to the crime wave.
Fed up with reporting to Police is not the right frame of mind to deal with criminals.

3). I am not for outright lynching of (street) criminals by citizens, but I think all of you should form an association, patrol the streets by rotation, catch the criminal and alert Police to come pick him up.
Police cannot be everywhere, nor can it descend from the sky right when a crime is in progress.

EVEN IF the criminal gets released by judges, at least he is now known to the community and has a bad track record.

If you and the voluntary patrol partner catch no criminal red-handed, at least you took a good walk for the day.

To me, there is no benefit in letting the steam off in forums, private conversations or daily gossip if no action to counterbalance criminality is taken.
The dangerous turning point must be pushed back to lower numbers of incidences, to lower violence levels and the balance should be turned back against the criminals.

Organize yourselves, organize yourselves, organize yourselves! 

wjwoodward wrote:

[img align=l]http://content1.giantnerd.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/489x/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/o/n/onguardulock.jpg[/url]Sounds like a winning idea to me. I might even go to the trouble of having a T-shirt printed up saying... "Advertência para Bandido - Eu nem tenho bicicleta, a trava é pra VOCÊ!" (Warning for Bandits - I don't even have a bike, the lock is for YOU!)

How about you James starting a T-shirt printing business? 

The dangerous turning point for Brazil could turn out to be a profitable turning point for you ....
What do you say? 

wjwoodward wrote:

As far as recidivists goes, it is EXTREMELY RARE that when any criminal is arrested anywhere in Brazil that it's his/her first offense. We've got young offenders (juvenile delinquents) who've been arrested 15 times for stealing cars, 5 times for murder, adults that have a rap sheet that stretched out on the floor for meter after meter. Multiple charges of homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, yet they've been put back out on the street in very short order to continue their criminal ways.

Not anything that you couldn't write about America these days.  Do a little research on "the knockout game."  Except here, instead of petty theft, we're beating and killing our elderly.

I'm sorry you felt the need to make a demand for anecdotal testimony. I'll not fall for that bait. No one has said that crime is not a problem, the question at hand is- if vigilantism is really where we want to go? Angry mobs roaming to street picking and choosing who will be the recipient of today's "justice". If you were in fact a crime victim, then you should understand that blood for blood is not always the best response.

be at peace. life is good.

Hi exnyer,

I agree with you wholeheartedly, this "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" mentality is definitely NOT where we want to see this country (or any other for that matter) go. However, in a country where the politicians simply pay lip service to public security while doing absolutely nothing to bring penal law and juvenile law into line with the reality of today's society this is what results.

It's incredible that while fully 93 percent of the Brazilian population wants the age of Penal Majority reduced to 16 the Senate has just voted down 5 separate Constitutional Amendment Proposals. They clearly don't mind publicly showing that they're working AGAINST the Brazilian population and not for it. Very sad.

When a population loses faith in their justice system and in their police, who do they have to turn to? Nobody! So, they take matters into their own hands unfortunately; despite that fact that they know (or at least they should know) that two wrongs don't make a right.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

The truth is that Brasil has a MANDATORY voting requirement for all voters and the worlds youngest population. Add to the mix corrupt politicians who don't want to lose their cushy "show up" jobs and you have the mess that is Brasil.

As I said before, the world will be watching. For those who thing the Olympics have no effect on public opinion, Remember how impressed the world was when China hosted. The leader in human rights suppression was ADMIRED for how well it suppressed all freedom of speech during the games.

What will Brasil be remembered for? I do not think the media will miss a chance to point out Brasil's faluts.

Why have Brazilians lost faith in the justice system and in the police to protect them?

Well, that's because the laws actually have been structured to favor the criminal, not the average citizen. Whenever penal law deals with the issue of rights in this country the law is talking about, you guessed it, the rights of criminals.

The laws are lax, the Courts' hands are tied as they must follow the law as written. The police arrest criminals, the courts in most cases must put them back on the street to await trial in liberty and convictions are slow in coming or never come. It is clear that those with money can put off conviction and sentencing for decades here in Brazil and some can even evade conviction altogether.

Even when an accused is convicted sentencing is a joke. First of all NOBODY goes to jail if their sentence is less than 4 years. Anyone with sentences under 4 years has some kind of alternative sentencing, such as community service or fines of "cestas básicas" (food baskets).

Those who are sentenced to more than 4 years get a reduction of from 1/6 to 2/3 of their sentences guaranteed by law with little or no conditions placed on that. In the USA a prisoner gets 1 day of reduced sentence for every week (54 per year) conditional on good behavior and in Canada that is 1 day for every 3 served, again based on good behavior.

Then too there's "Progressão de Pena" they progress from a closed regime of imprisonment, to a system of day parole where they only return to the prison at night to sleep.

Also the vast majority of prisoners are released from custody for holidays, this is called "saida temporária". They get out for the Christmas / New Year period, Mother's Day, Father's Day and the like with not real conditions imposed on their eligibility for these releases. We've seen many criminals who've been released for Father's Day whose father is deceased and they themselves have no children. In one such famous case the prisoner went right back to perpetrating crimes upon release, did not return at the end of the "furlough", he was not himself a father and his own father had died many years before. One would think that if you're getting out to celebrate Father's day the very minimum requirement would be that you're a dad or at least still have one yourself!!! Not in Brazil.

There are about 4 to 10 percent of these prisoners released on temporary leave that never come back and return to their life of crime.

The law-abiding citizen in Brazil just doesn't stand a chance, the cards are stacked against him or her right from the getgo.

Now that the Senate has voted down 5 separate Constitutional Amendment Projects to reduce penal majority to 16 and continue to drag their feet on long overdue reform of the country's archaic  Penal Code people are going to more and more turn into vigilantes who take the law into their own hands, sad to say. This is not where we want to go, but it appears to be inevitable.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

See below

JohnC wrote:

Also the vast majority of prisoners are released from custody for holidays, this is called "saida temporária". They get out for the Christmas / New Year period, Mother's Day, Father's Day and the like with not real conditions imposed on their eligibility for these releases. We've seen many criminals who've been released for Father's Day whose father is deceased and they themselves have no children. In one such famous case the prisoner went right back to perpetrating crimes upon release, did not return at the end of the "furlough", he was not himself a father and his own father had died many years before. One would think that if you're getting out to celebrate Father's day the very minimum requirement would be that you're a dad or at least still have one yourself!!! Not in Brazil

It would seem that a good majority of the crime could be eliminated by not releasing them for holidays. This has got to be one of the stupidest things they could do. I would think it has to be higher than 10% not returning on these releases.  If you are a murderer for instance there is no parole in the US there is no early release or work release. Holiday release is totally counter productive and makes law enforcement even more difficult and allows more victims to be created by these lawless individuals because they are not really punished. I really find this difficult to believe but this is Brazil and a lot of things they do do not make sense

I agree John, the 4 - 10 percent figure comes from the Brazilian government so one can assume that it has purposely been underestimated. They have a vested interest in not letting the general public exactly how many of these prisoners never return and must therefore be hunted down. Usually they're only re-captured when they're arrested for some other, and a more serious, crime.

It's startng to look like we're soon going to run out of lightposts in Brazil, the trend is catching on all over the country. Maybe the utility companies should start charging the bandits rent!!!

wjwoodward wrote:

It's startng to look like we're soon going to run out of lightposts in Brazil, the trend is catching on all over the country. Maybe the utility companies should start charging the bandits rent!!!

[img align=c]http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u531/wjwoodward/LADRAO_zps27639113.jpg?t=1394060984[/url]

Hi James,

I rub my eyes and cannot believe what I am seeing ... 

If it's to be a downtrend, soon the public will get used to such images, the criminals will get used to getting tied to the posts and police officers will become immune.

Judges get more and more work to do with less and less efficacy …

I cannot find any optimism in such images / situation.
Can you? 

The justice system has failed completely in Brazil, John. Nobody is doing anything to change that situation, the politicians here are ignoring the wishes of the population, crime is rampant and this is the end result. The average citizen has had all he can take, now everybody is taking justice into their own hands. Sad to say!

This makes it's sound like Brazil is very dangerous and criminals are free to do what they want! I read  in other articles you say how safe it is then I read your posts now! Which is it?


STAY AWAY, you have been warned. I never forget what my good Brazilian friend said to me once - "Brasil me revolta!" (Brazil makes me sick!)

No matter where you look, it's all just so horribly, horribly bad. There is NO PUBLIC SAFETY, while 500,000 army troops stay on their bases cutting shrubs and polishing weapons for an attack that will never come. They should put them all on the streets protecting the citizenry.

You want to see beyond the pale? Come here, and good luck if you do.

Hi jwesneski,

I have never said Brazil is a safe place. It is not! What I have always said is that crimes happen everywhere, even in our so-called "First World" countries.

There is a lot of crime in Brazil, always has been because of a woefully outdated Penal Code and juvenile laws that give young offenders almost absolute impunity.

That said, what I've always maintained is that when one takes all the necessary steps to protect oneself and not be an easy target for crime your chances of being involved in a serious incident aren't much different than in most large cities in the USA.

Serious crimes against people are almost always either drug traffickers and criminals settling scores between themselves. If you are "Joe Average", don't mess with drugs, don't hang out with the criminal element your chances of serious troubles are low. Sure, somebody might try and mug you in the street, but when was the last time that didn't happen in Central Park in the Big Apple? When didn't a bunch of CHAVs mug anyone in London or skinheads attack somebody in Toronto? No place in the world is truly safe if you engage in risky behavior.

Crimes that we expats need to worry about are ALWAYS crimes of opportunity. Essentially we do something either foolishly or carelessly to make ourselves an easy target. We pull out a wad of money and count it at the newsstand in full view of everybody to make a small purchase. We walk around wearing expensive watches and jewelery, carrying expensive cameras or iPads, etc, when we really don't need to. We go out for an evening and take enough cash to pay for drinks on the house for everybody instead of just what we need or 1 credit card. What happens? Somebody sees this and we've given him the OPPORTUNITY to make us his victim.

If everybody follows all of the safety tips that I've given in my posting "A Gringo's Survival Guide for Brazil" they can be relatively sure that they're never going to have any serious incidents. I know from over 12 years of living in various major cities in different states here in Brazil. In all that time I've never had any problems and never been victimized because I follow the common sense safety rules. I've been in almost every part of São Paulo all hours of day and night, don't lock myself away out of fear. I know what to do to deprive would-be crooks of the opportunity to make me their next victim and I know exactly what to do in order to survive if my best efforts to prevent an incident don't work.

That is all that anyone needs to do, here in Brazil, in Manhattan, in London, Paris or Beijing to stay safe.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Hi James,

the problem with Bazil is there you always have to be on the lookout - this is most definitely not the case in other (advanced) countries. Here, the norm is that someone is watching, waiting, scoping out your house, your car, you can't show money from your pocket, can't leave anything in the car of value, have to roll up windows when you stop at a light, have to look in the mirrors to see if someone is watching or approaching, have to get everything alarmed, put up cameras everywhere....it just goes on and on ad nauseum.  Your life has become one continuous attempt to avoid being the next victim. 

This is NOT the case in Canada and the US, and many other countries as well (in which I have lived).

Brazil - failed criminal-run enterprise. My advice to anyone wanting to come here: do so at your own risk. I speak from experience. It is shabby, extremely dangerous, violent, there is no respect for the law, everyone drives DRUNK as the national pastime.

Why does literally everyone live behind bars and electric fences with multiple alarms, dogs to bark, etc. etc. etc.

Disgusting.

PS Most Brazilians are hoping like hell that the World Soccer Cup erupts in massive protests and failure. Why is this? There is no justice and no safety in Brazil. Maybe the goalkeeper who fed his girfriend to a dog and was sentenced to 30 years prison will be playing? He's already served a year or two and from what I hear has been signed for 2015 by a club. He'll play by day and back to the slammer at night, you know, until he's freed in 2016-17 or serves his sentence "at liberty", as the "justice" system likes to say. BRAZIL IS AN EPIC FAILURE.