Bebeche: A 15 Year-Old Argentine Boy Has 36 Criminal Charges
Bebeche is the name of a boy from Mar del Plata, who over the last two years has accumulated 36 criminal charges at the young age of 15.
The teen, who has been described as "baby faced" by members of the community, has been responsible for a variety of crimes, including robbery, assault, carjackings and a suspected shooting.
On Monday, Bebeche, who began his life of crime at the age of 13, was caught robbing a poultry store and, with the age of criminal responsibility only five months away for him, his crime spree is reaching a boiling point.
The young teen is part of a group of youth in the community who have been able to get away with their crimes because the crimes were committed while they were under 16, the age of consent.
Bebeche is infamous in his community for, according to Clarín, allegedly stopping a bus filled with passengers and robbing them at gun point. He also led police on a car chase before crashing the car into a tree.
All crimes were dismissed because it is unimpeachable.
"Once the act is determined, authorship, required by law to ask for the dismissal because the judge dictates Guarantee. Are guys who are constantly involved in crime, all the time on the brink of death, or self," the prosecutor Carlos Russo told Clarín. "Until we pass the barrier of 16, much can be done," said another man of justice. For that there are still five months.
According to Americas Society Council of the Americas, Argentina's lack of a formal juvenile justice system is to blame for the behavior of youth like Bebeche. The laws currently in place protect those under 16 because they are considered "nonpunishable by criminal justice regardless of the severity of their crime."
It has recently been proposed to lower the age to 14 to bring youth like Bebecho to trial for their crimes.
Some of Bebecho's close friends have been known to also commit crimes like homicide, in the case of one named Mapuche, and one young man even lost his life after being shot trying to rob a stranger.
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