Overview
- After clearing the lower house, the bill to lower criminal responsibility from 16 to 14 heads to a Senate session scheduled for Thursday that includes a vote, according to the officialist leadership.
- The draft caps sentences for adolescents at 15 years, rules out life terms, mandates separation from adults in custody, and prioritizes non-custodial, socio-educational sanctions for lesser offenses.
- Vice President Victoria Villarruel hosted Pastoral Social and Cáritas in the Senate to present a letter opposing the reduction, a move interpreted as distancing from President Javier Milei.
- Recent surveys report majorities in favor of lowering the age, including 80% support in Opinaia, 73.1% in Giacobbe & Asociados, and 64.2% in Zentrix.
- Implementation remains a flashpoint as provinces warn of capacity and funding gaps, with Córdoba’s Liliana Montero criticizing discretionary language on financing despite new national allocations for the Defensoría General and the Justice Ministry.