Overview
- Law 27.801 has taken effect and this week’s IV Congreso Nacional Penal Adolescente y Juvenil in Salta is focused on how to turn the law’s standards into working practice.
- United Nations experts and ILANUD speakers emphasized prevention, restorative justice and neurodevelopment research to argue that responses should prioritize education, health and reintegration over purely punitive sanctions.
- Speakers warned implementation requires specialized judges and prosecutors, local multidisciplinary teams, dedicated facilities and case-management systems to guarantee due process and deliver socioeducative measures.
- The Senate approved transfer of juvenile justice powers to the City of Buenos Aires and the Buenos Aires judiciary says it can absorb the extra cases while other provinces and experts say capacity and infrastructure are uneven across jurisdictions.
- Advocates and specialists said broader punishable conduct in the new law may raise caseloads and that stronger prevention through families, schools and community services will be essential to reduce recruitment of vulnerable adolescents by criminal groups.