The Government promotes the reform of the Juvenile Criminal Law in extraordinary sessions

The Executive confirmed that the lowering of the age of imputability will be debated in February along with the labor reform

The national government confirmed on Monday the inclusion of the reform of the Juvenile Criminal Law in the agenda of the extraordinary sessions of Congress, which will begin next week. The decision was announced by the Chief of Cabinet, Manuel Adorni, after a strategic meeting at Casa Rosada that was attended by the political core of the ruling party.

The initiative, which seeks to modify the current regime of criminal responsibility for minors, thus joins other priority projects of the Executive, such as labor modernization and the modification of the Glacier Law, configuring a high-impact legislative agenda for the month of February.

A high-level political table

The definition was made during a meeting at Casa Rosada in which Karina Milei, Secretary of the Presidency; the Minister of the Interior, Diego Santilli; the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem; the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo; the presidential advisor, Santiago Caputo; and Senator Patricia Bullrich.

Through his account on the social network X, Adorni ratified the decision: "We met at Casa Rosada since early. The 'Juvenile Criminal Law' will also be part of the agenda of the extraordinary sessions."

What does the reform propose?

The project originally presented by the Executive Branch in 2024 proposes lowering the age of imputability from 16 to 14 years old, although during the previous parliamentary debate there were tensions on this point. The ministers of Justice, Mariano Cúneo Libarona, and Security, Patricia Bullrich, proposed that it be established in 13 years; the deputies set it at 14.

The opinion that obtained consensus in commissions during 2025 included broader aspects than the simple modification of age: its purpose is to promote in the accused adolescent the sense of legal responsibility for his or her actions and achieve his or her education, resocialization and social integration.

Among the provisions contemplated are specific procedural guarantees for minors, such as the right to defence from the beginning of the process, deprivation of liberty as a last measure, and exclusive accommodation in specialized establishments. The sanctions applied may in no case imply an interruption of studies.

An inconclusive debate that returns to the scene

The project had already gone through an extensive debate during 2025. The discussion lasted nine months and brought together 15 different projects; the ruling never reached the floor, lost parliamentary status, forcing the Executive to restart the process from scratch.

Official sources confirmed that the government could resubmit its original version, although during the previous negotiation it had to give in on key points. The text established a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and expressly prohibited life imprisonment. That was another of the points that were modified during the negotiation: in the ruling that advanced, the limit of custodial sentences for adolescents was set at 15 years.

The political context and the cases that accelerated the decision

The reactivation of the debate takes place in a context marked by criminal cases involving minors and generating media repercussions. The most recent cases include the murder of Joaquín Ibarra, 21, and the death of Uriel Giménez, 12, in addition to the murder of Jeremías Monzón in Santa Fe.

Patricia Bullrich, current senator and former Minister of Security, was blunt on her social networks: "Society needs justice and to prevent new victims. Without consequences, there is freedom to commit crimes. There we will see clearly who is on the side of the Argentines, and who continues to defend the criminals."

Conflicting positions

The project faces strong resistance from sectors of the opposition, human rights organizations and leaders of the Catholic Church. According to a UNICEF report, there is no evidence to show that lowering the age of criminal responsibility has a favorable impact on greater security for the population.

Critics warn that a 14-year-old convicted of a felony could receive a sentence beyond his or her own age, undermining any chance that person could have a life beyond prison.

Kirchnerism already expressed its outright rejection during the debate in commissions in 2025, although the Renovation Front showed internal fissures, with legislators willing to support the initiative.

Next steps

The extraordinary sessions will begin next Monday, February 2 and will last until the 27th of the same month. With a renewed parliamentary map after the 2025 elections, the ruling party is confident of gathering the necessary support to move forward with this reform that promises to become one of the most intense debates of the legislative year.

Close