The Attorney General of the Republic, Lucília Gago, this Monday criticized the closure of residential facilities in educational centers, noting that this was the reason that the number of hospitalizations exceeded capacity in February and March 2024.
Lucília Gago spoke this Monday morning at the IV European Congress on the theme “Child-friendly justice – the right to education” in Lisbon, where she took the opportunity to draw attention to some of the flaws in the system regarding juvenile justice and what it is for needed. he called “inconsistencies in the field of educational interventions.”
According to the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR), the recent closure of residential premises in training centers, coupled with “a small number of requests and requests for the opening of the jurisdictional stage”, has led to a situation that she classified as “ridiculous”.
“The total number of reported hospitalizations in the world – 136 – exceeded the installed capacity in February and March of this year – 134,” he noted.
On the other hand, he warned that “the situation is most alarming, given also the lack of human resources and the increasingly frequent entry into the country of young people unaccompanied by their families.”
The PIU noted that these are young people “uprooted, undocumented, of different backgrounds and origins” and unable to provide for themselves.
“With a high probability they can indicate educational needs manifested in the practice of criminal offenses, which increases the difficulties on the ground that are acutely felt today,” emphasized Lucilia Gago.
According to PGR, today’s school faces “countless challenges” due to the “increasing multiculturalism of the children and young people who attend it”, which has required “redoubled and herculean” efforts from various educational professionals to ensure “the full integration of students and equal opportunities.”
“This strengthening will fail, we believe, unless there is greater offer and versatility in school curricula, diversification of curriculum content and better matching the interests of students, assessing their potential and skills, taking into account their growing multiculturalism, while keeping the pulse labor market,” he said.
“the legislator’s option,” which he considers “very dubious.”
According to Lucilia Gago, this has “perverse consequences” that lead to institutionalized young people committing “successive escapes”, which only contributes to their lack of protection, “projecting them into the absurdity of precocious, unprepared and counterproductive in every way.” autonomy.”
“All this is to the detriment of school attendance and progress, pushing young people in boarding schools into begging, prostitution, consumption and addiction to drugs and alcohol,” he criticized.
He also lamented the “lack of specialized equipment to provide a complete response to mental health issues.”
In turn, the Minister of Justice, who was also present at the opening of the meeting, cited data from the Annual Report of Internal Security (RASI) and stated that juvenile crime has increased since 2021 and that this is reflected in the increase in the number of educational guardians. investigations.
“Consequently, the likelihood of using the most stringent measure of child custody will increase – hospitalization in an educational center,” noted Rita Yudice.
The minister noted that young people to whom this measure applies enter educational centers on average at the age of 16 and with “increasingly complex deviant paths.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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