The US is moving toward lowering its prison population. Brazil may go in the opposite direction. Its Congress is considering lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16. That would send thousands of adolescents to a dangerous adult prison system with 200,000 too many inmates.
For the past 30 years, Doctor Herbert Needleman has been researching the effects of lead poisoning in children. Living On Earth’s Diane Toomey spoke with Dr. Needleman about his latest study, in which he looked at the lead levels in the bones of juvenile delinquents and compared the results to levels found in other children.