This Friday, the Presidency announced that this afternoon the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, together with the Minister of Justice Mariano Cúneo Libarona, will present the Juvenile Criminal Law Project. It will be proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years, confirmed spokesman Manuel Adorni.
The details will be exhibited this Friday at 12, at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Security.
At the beginning of this month, the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, during a visit to Mendoza, announced that she would send a draft reform of the Juvenile Penal Code «so that the use of minors stops, or that minors can commit crimes without any type of sanction.
Last month, Bullrich said in a note with Radio Miter that the age was still being debated. “The age is still being discussed: whether it is 14, 13 like in Uruguay or 12 like Brazil. We are discussing what the age is. It seems to us that there are two things: in the very serious crimes there must be imputability; because if it is a murder, there must be imputability at the age at which the crime is committed, if the minor is really conscious. In case of minor offences That helps prevent young people from continuing in their careers. Uruguay has 13 and Brazil has 12; We are studying how this has impacted the population.“, the minister commented at the time.
Finally, he leaned towards the 13 year old. «Adult crime, adult punishment», Adorni said today when referring to the project.
The Government’s intention is to modify the current Law 22.278, of August 25, 1980, in the midst of the military dictatorship, modified in May 1983. The norm of the Penal Regime of Minors, in its first article establishes that “a minor who has not reached sixteen years of age is not punishable. Neither is a minor who has not reached 18 years of age, with respect to crimes of private action or punished with a prison sentence of not more than two years, with a fine or with disqualification.”
Decrease in accountability: a previous project
In May, ruling party legislators presented the draft “Juvenile Penal Regime”, which proposes modifications to the penal code and the repeal of Law 22,278. The initiative has the signature of deputies Álvaro Martínez, Julio Moreno Ovalle, María Fernanda Araujo, Facundo Correa Llano, Alida Ferreyra, Gerardo Huesen and José Peluc.
In the project, they stipulate a maximum of up to 15 years of hospitalization for those over 16, and for children and adolescents between 12 and 15 years old, that the measure be extended up to 10 years.
Source: Infabae and A24
