Reducing the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 is one of the main points of divergence between deputies
The special committee of the Chamber of Deputies canceled this Wednesday (March 4, 2026) the session that would vote on the Security PEC. The rapporteur of the proposal, deputy (União Brasil-PE), stated on February 26 that the commission would vote on the text this Wednesday and the plenary would analyze the PEC subsequently, on the same day. The proposal gained prominence in Congress due to the forecast of reducing the age of criminal responsibility.
The board would start the meeting at 10 am, but it was postponed to start at 12 pm. The commission announced the cancellation around 11 am. The PEC will be the topic of discussion at the leaders’ meeting this Wednesday, at 2 pm. And the commission is expected to resume voting this Thursday (March 5, 2026).
Mendonça declared that he will negotiate the text with the benches to seek . He met on Tuesday (March 3) with PT, Psol and PCdoB. According to the rapporteur, center and right-wing parties fully support the proposal. He stated that left-wing parties specifically resist the reduction of the age of criminal responsibility.
The Psol leader in the Chamber, (RJ), declared on February 26 that the party vote if the text maintains the reduction to 16 years. He stated that PT, Psol and PCdoB will not close an agreement if the device remains in the proposal.
The PT bench presented on Tuesday (March 3) a to the rapporteur. The group considers the reduction of the age of criminal responsibility to be the main point of friction for the project’s advancement.
The PT leader in the Chamber, (PT-SC) stated that the party will vote against the PEC if the text maintains the provision. He argued that the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) did not declare the admissibility of the topic and said that the inclusion of the measure “diverts the focus” from the fight against organized crime.
