After the murder of Kim Gómez, the Chamber of Deputies will debate in commission the project to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years in order to impose up to 20 years in prison on minors who commit serious crimes, prohibiting life imprisonment. The president of the Penal Legislation Commission, Laura Rodríguez Machado (PRO), called for the discussion following Javier Milei's request in the Legislative Assembly to reform the Criminal Procedural Code.
Rodríguez Machado agreed with other commission members to accelerate the call for the plenary session with the aim of discussing a report. The discussion will precede a session of opposition blocs that seeks to address various projects, including the Libra cryptocurrency scandal. The Government proposes setting the age at 13 years, but the consensus is to lower it to 14 years.
Various projects in the chamber propose lowering the age of criminal responsibility, such as those by massista Ramiro Gutiérrez, PRO president Cristian Ritondo, Coalition Civic president Juan Manuel López, and other legislators. Alternative sanctions to imprisonment and resocialization measures are proposed, such as educational and sports programs and medical treatments when necessary.
The creation of a supervisor figure is proposed to guide the young offender in their rehabilitation and reintegration process into society, as well as revising the sentence once two-thirds of the sentence have been served, to allow for its completion at home. Other options for serving the sentence, such as specialized detention institutes for minors, are contemplated.
