157 is the article number in the Penal Code that describes the crime of theft.
For this reason, code 157 has become popular slang, used mainly among criminals, to describe the action of assaulting someone.
In this case, a person who calls himself “157” is implying that he is a thief, a criminal and assaults other people with the use of weapons, avoiding resistance from his victims.
More popularly, saying that a person is 157 can also mean that they are malicious or tricky, without necessarily being related to the act of stealing.
Article 157 in the Penal Code
According to article 157 of the Brazilian Penal Code, this type of crime is configured when a certain individual subtracts:
“other person's mobile thing, for oneself or for others, through serious threat or violence to the person, or after having it, by any means, reduced to the impossibility of resistance”.
As a form of punishment for criminals who fall under this article, the law provides for a penalty ranging from 4 (four) to 10 (ten) years of imprisonment, plus the payment of a fine.
Penalties for this crime can increase depending on certain aggravating conditions. See what they are:
the penalty can be increased by up to a third of time if any of the following situations occur:
- if there is more than one person involved in the crime,
- if the victim of the theft is doing work that involves transporting valuables and the criminal knows this fact,
- if the stolen vehicle is transported to another state or abroad,
- if the victim of the robbery is held in a situation of deprivation of liberty,
- if the object of the theft involves substances that are explosive (or accessories for the manufacture of explosives).
Also, the penalty can be increased by up to two thirds of time in these hypotheses:
- if there is use of a firearm during the robbery,
- if there is use of some kind of explosive to facilitate the crime.
If the crime results in victim's death, the penalty for the criminal can vary between 20 (twenty) and 30 (thirty) years of imprisonment.
In case of serious bodily injury, the penalty will be determined between 7 (seven) and 18 (eighteen) years.
Find out more about the meaning of Robbery.
Difference between robbery and theft
Robbery and theft crimes have some similarities, but they differ in the way they are carried out. While in the crime of robbery there is use of threat or violence against the victim, in the crime of theft this does not happen.
Theft is the removal or appropriation of another person's property without the use of any kind of threat or violence. The crime is provided for in article 155 of the Penal Code and the penalty provided varies between 1 (one) and 4 (four) years of imprisonment.
Read more about the Theft and also know the meanings of embezzlement and embezzlement.
Curiosities about 157
As a popular slang, the "code 157" is present in several aspects of society, such as in musical groups that debate the so-called "street culture" or "culture of crime".
The popularity of this slang grew from the song “Article 157”, by the group of rap music Brazilian Racionais MC's.
See also the meaning of 171.