Zero tolerance

Laws are reformed, but delinquent minds are deformed, and their resocialization is merely rhetoric, inseparable from the practice of human rehabilitation. The level of violence in Brazil has reached an unbearable level.

The media, rightly so, highlights, with evidence, that in the main capitals of the country, the climate of insecurity is explosive, in addition to thousands of
victims of this governmental debacle.

The time has come for us to adopt a zero-tolerance policy regarding violence and crime. No reform of the Penal Code will lead to a slow and gradual reduction in delinquency.

The federal government should, now more than ever, develop a national security plan for the states most affected by rampant criminal activity. São Paulo is particularly noteworthy, as it reigns supreme and the damage caused by banditry is glaringly obvious.

At this point, there is no longer any peace of mind, and the police themselves are confined, unable to fully carry out their duties. Structural reform is imperative.

Every time the rates rise alarmingly, the task force and the army would be obligated to take action; the authorities are delaying their actions, and in an election year, the effects will be harmful. Therefore, the situation demands a more effective stance, without half-truths.

The current situation proclaims a state of zero tolerance, with no more crime, violence, express kidnappings, muggings, or murders; there are no more vacancies in jails or prisons. What could be the real reason for the explosion of this chaotic state?

Truly, the crisis is affecting all sectors, but the worst example comes from the top, and the lack of criminal accountability leads to impunity, and the consequence, as we all know, is widespread bewilderment.

Every day, without any discussion, robberies and kidnappings happen in broad daylight, and preventative policing is minimal in every sense. Effective planning requires public cooperation and interaction between the police and citizens.

We have never seen so many weapons circulating, heavy weaponry, and things that, overnight, appear circulating among criminals.

It is necessary to do serious and competent work, registering strangers entering the city, finding out if they have a fixed address and employment, entering the data into the system and storing it, and rigorously controlling the weapons produced, and those supplied to corporations and the army in general.

Structural improvements to the positions and salaries of public employees, and the eventual unification of the police forces. Public security policy has been neglected, and we see nothing, in all honesty, that contributes to its improvement.

The pace of zero tolerance towards crime requires a political bias and the willingness of the ruler to do the right thing, but the population, knowing the validity of the measure, will certainly give its full cooperation.

Sanctions need to be effective, not palliative; the progression of the sentence regime can only be used in cases of non-violence and in crimes of lesser offensive potential.

The displacement of the prison population is fundamental to considering recidivism or any changes due to releases for Christmas, Father's Day, New Year's Eve, etc.

Strict border control and constant checkpoints in interstate regions would minimize the clandestine transport of weapons and drugs.

The constant fight against drugs seems to be the motto of zero tolerance, given the outbreaks that constantly occur for reasons linked to consumption and trafficking in various regions.

In short, society has paid a very high price due to the apathy, lethargy, and sleepwalking of government authorities.

The federal government, in this time of acute crisis, has an obligation to create a national security plan to achieve zero tolerance and definitively stem the bleeding of organized crime, in order to save lives that are needlessly lost.

Carlos Henrique Abrão is a judge on the Court of Justice of São Paulo.