In parallel with the Penal Code (Decree-Law no. 2.848/40), there is another law that addresses less serious illicit conduct, the Law of Minor Offenses (Decree-Law no. 3.688/41). Since the conduct listed here is less serious than those in the Penal Code, consequently the applicable penalties are also milder: either simple imprisonment or a fine. The most interesting, however, are some of the minor offenses provided for. Did you know that drunkenness is one of them (art. 64)? Vagrancy is another (art. 59), and begging (art. 60), too. So, you who are always making a scene after a few drinks, or who are living off your mother-in-law's favor and have been "looking for a job" for three years without success, get your act together or you'll be arrested!
Another interesting fact is about selling alcoholic beverages to minors. Who has never seen those Globo commercials, where the narrator, with a deep and serious voice, says: "selling alcoholic beverages to minors is a crime!"? They are wrong! It is not a crime, it is a minor offense (art. 63, § 1st). It would be a crime if such conduct were provided for in the Penal Code, which is not the case.
Visit: www.rodrigoghedin.com.br/2006/05/29/curiosidades-juridicas/ (Rodrigo Ghedin)
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