In Argentina, a bill has been passed that lowers the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14. National Deputy Laura RodrÃguez Machado, president of the Legislation Committee, defends this initiative, asserting that it aims to resocialize minors rather than criminally punish them. "We are not trying to imprison everyone. We are providing due process guarantees," she stated. The new legislation provides for alternative penalties, but judges are also given the discretion to apply them for crimes punishable by 3 to 10 years in prison, except in cases where the victim has died. "There is no figure in our country that can hide impunity," she added. Previously, opponents of the bill had argued that it would criminalize youth, but RodrÃguez Machado rejected these arguments as an attempt to maintain the status quo. "Many do not want to change anything so that everything remains the same. I cannot think of a more cruel argument than 'do nothing,'" she said.
