During the session held today, the Chamber of Senators of Mendoza unanimously gave the green light to the project to expand jury trials, one of the eleven initiatives in the package of security laws sent by the Executive Branch. With the approval of both Chambers, the project has been sent to the Executive Branch for promulgation.
The legislator David Saez, reporting member of the proposal, highlighted that this modification to Law 9,106, in force since October 2018, seeks to continue the success of jury trials and expand their material scope. The sanction focuses on two main axes: expanding the subject matter jurisdiction of jury trials to include crimes such as simple homicide, and introducing a preliminary hearing for discovery and admission of evidence.
The senator Dugar Chappel of the Green Party expressed its support for the project, although it noted that quantitatively it has not been a fundamental contribution to the distribution of justice in Mendoza. However, valued the implementation of jury trial as an innovative method of dispensing justice, highlighting that in 90% of casesthe technical judges would have issued sentences similar to those of the popular juries.
Germán Vicchi, of the Mendocina Union, supported the proposal, recalling the historical origins of the jury trial in England and its importance in the democratization of justice. Vicchi He stated that this system allows greater citizen participation and forces lawyers to express themselves in clear and understandable language for juries, promoting transparency and understanding in judicial processes.
One of the axes is to expand the material jurisdiction of jury trials to include crimes such as simple homicide.
Adriana Canohead of the Justicialista bloc, also expressed her support, underscoring the need to democratize access to justice and train citizens on the jury trial system. Cano highlighted that it is essential to commit society to this paradigm shift to improve institutional quality and trust in the judicial system.
The modification to Law No. 9106 seeks to gradually expand the material jurisdiction of jury trials, including crimes such as simple homicide and robbery aggravated by serious and very serious injuries.. In addition, it regulates the preliminary hearing of the Criminal Procedure Code with a procedure for discovery and admission of evidence. This advance aims to strengthen the jury trial stage and ensure a more efficient and fair judicial process, supported by objective criteria on the admissibility and exclusion of evidence.
