Police wants changes

[NewsWhore]

National Police Chief Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin is lobbying for the Dominican Penal Code to be changed. The Police Chief wants minors who commit serious crimes to be tried as adults. Guzman, who is well known for his tough stance on crime, says that most violent crimes in the DR are committed by young people between the ages of 10 and 17. Guzman said that these youngsters are used as drug mules or hit men and are released from jail with relative ease due to the protection they enjoy as juveniles under the Penal Code. Guzman added that these young men have become leaders of medium-sized drug trafficking rings and have a negative effect on society. The Police Chief challenged the notion that poverty has anything to with it, adding that just because a child is poor or doesn't have a job it doesn't justify violent acts. He said that 90% of prisoners come from broken homes, but that a distinction needs to be made between crime and violence.

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