[REVISION HISTORY]

Argentina implements new juvenile criminal law

Updated 37 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-03 17:02 UTC → 2026-10-03 20:53 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Argentina’s new juvenile penal regime, established by Law 27.801 and regulated by Decree 875/2026, officially entered into force on September 5, 2026. The reform lowers the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14, allowing adolescents aged 14 to 18 to be prosecuted for crimes defined in the Penal Code. The law aims to foster legal responsibility and social reintegration through alternative penalties, while reserving imprisonment as a last resort, setting a maximum sentence of 15 years, and prohibiting life imprisonment for minors. Implementation has triggered significant judicial and political conflict. In Buenos Aires province, Judge Marta Pascual suspended the law for 60 days following a habeas corpus filing, citing a lack of infrastructure and resources to house minors. This ruling sparked three impeachment requests against Pascual in the provincial Senate for alleged ‘misconduct,’ led by La Libertad Avanza and PRO. However, the Chamber of Appeals and Guarantees in Criminal Matters of Lomas de Zamora revoked Pascual’s suspension, ruling that judges cannot unilaterally suspend laws passed by Congress. The law is also significantly impacting the secondary education system. School directors and teachers are now legally obligated to report incidents such as fights, threats, or thefts to the justice ~~system,~~ system. In Paraná, Entre Ríos, the Public Prosecutor's Office recently archived a ~~shift that moves school coexistence into~~ complaint filed by Club Atlético Estudiantes (CAE) Secondary School regarding an incident involving adolescents. The case was closed because the ~~judicial sphere. Regional implementation continues to evolve. In Mendoza,~~ individuals involved did not meet the ~~Chamber~~ new age threshold of ~~Deputies recently~~ 14 for criminal liability. To manage these changes, Prosecutor Jorge García has approved a new ~~Juvenile Criminal Regime~~ protocol for provincial prosecutors, developed by ~~a 32-10 vote, aligning~~ Deputy Prosecutor Cecilia Goyeneche, to align with the national age reduction. However, in Entre Ríos, Maximiliano Benítez, head of the Ministry of Public Defense, criticized the trend, arguing the law fails to differentiate between adolescents and adults legislative focus on education and ~~noting that neuroscientific evidence shows a 14-year-old’s capacity to understand consequences differs significantly from an adult’s.~~ social reintegration.

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