Mia writes:

Subject: article needs work

There is no evidence to support your conclusion that lack of death penalty & the leniency of penalties for juvenile offenders is the cause the high level of crime in Brazil. Your article then seems to state that the crime rate is actually not that high after all.... ??? This article needs work I'm afraid.

Arthur writes:

Subject: new evidence

Mia, Thank you very much for your comments. Skepticism is healthy and good. Some time has passed since I wrote this article so it is time to recheck the facts. Just a few days ago the International Living index ranked Brazil as the seventh best country to retire in. One of the key considerations in their ranking is the crime rate. They gave Brazil their highest possible score of 100 for “Safety/Stability.”

You do have a valid concern about crime in Brazil. However crime rates vary considerably within Brazil, from some very dangerous areas (especially favelas) to very safe areas. The very high rates of crime in some areas skews the overall crime rate making it seem that all of Brazil is a high crime area. It is not. For those who have the economic means to choose where in Brazil they want to live, they can easily choose very low crime areas.