In 2024, over 4,000 minors were in conflict with the law in Argentina, according to the latest report from the National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CNPT), which details the number of children and adolescents in detention centers and subject to penal measures. As of December 31, 2024, 4,119 children and adolescents were within the juvenile criminal justice system: 3,249 were under territorial penal measures, 865 were in detention or restriction of liberty facilities, four under house arrest, and one individual about whom no information is available. This indicates that 'eight out of ten minors had judicial measures that did not involve restriction or deprivation of liberty; instead, accompaniment and supervision programs were implemented within socio-community networks.' Although the report's indicators, accessed by the Argentine News Agency, show a downward trend for that year, there was a slight increase in minors under a deprivation of liberty regime. The Juvenile Criminal Justice System had a total of 174 facilities nationwide: 75 for applying territorial penal measures and 99 for situations of confinement, of which 63 were for deprivation of liberty, 27 for restriction of liberty, and 9 for specialized apprehension devices. Regarding the alleged crimes, property crimes predominated (57.1%), followed by crimes against persons (13.9%) and sexual integrity (7.5%). The report also warns about the presence of minors under 16 in the juvenile criminal justice system. Forty-eight minors aged 12 to 15 were institutionalized for penal reasons, 44 of whom were in detention centers. Under the current juvenile criminal law, which starts at 16, these 48 minors are declared non-punishable and thus should not be placed in juvenile justice system facilities but should be addressed by the comprehensive rights protection system agencies. The national incarceration rate for the juvenile criminal justice system was 1.8 young people and adolescents detained per 100,000 inhabitants. The jurisdictions of Córdoba, Buenos Aires, and the Federal Capital far exceed this rate, with the first two provinces concentrating 75% of the total. Regarding those punishable, over 60% of those in confinement measures were aged 16 to 17 in 2024. It is also highlighted that over 30% of those remaining in confinement are serving judicial measures after turning 18.
