Under the wave of radical economic reforms of President Javier Milley, the Argentine government has recently made another wave - a controversial new bill has surfaced. At the behest of Milley, Argentine Justice Minister Mariano Cuneo Liberarona and security colleague Patricia Bourridge co-sponsored the shocking bill on Friday: lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 13.
"We are standing here to stick to the bottom line of society," Patricia Bourridge said loudly in the media, her words like a sharp knife, pointing directly at the pain points of society. She stressed that this society does not tolerate any form of criminal escape, and neither her children nor her parents should fall prey to the ignorance of the perpetrators. From now on, the punishment for serious crimes will be the same, and the severity of the punishment will be determined by the age of the offender.
It has been revealed that the bill, which is about to be submitted to Congress, clearly states that the maximum sentence for juvenile offenders will be set at a heavy 20 years. Juveniles who have violated the Argentine Penal Code will be forced to spend their long and heavy sentences in specific correctional institutions or in specific areas of prisons.
"This new law will be our weapon in the fight against rising juvenile delinquency, an obstacle to the prosperity of our country," Mariano Cuño Libarona said, revealing a firm determination. He was well aware that organized crime was taking advantage of the ignorance and fearlessness of children and adolescents to evade justice with impunity.
In the bill, for sentences ranging from three to six years, the ministers proposed more humane options: wearing electronic bracelets, prohibiting access to victims and their relatives, restricting their departure from the territory, and engaging in community service. These measures are aimed at enabling criminals to regain their lost direction in life through reflection and reform.