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🇦🇷 Argentina /Crime & Justice

Juvenile Criminal Law: What Changes Under the Government’s New Regulations

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Approved/passed
  • Argentina’s government issued Decree 875/2026 to regulate the juvenile criminal law that lowered the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
  • The Justice Ministry will oversee the system, including a new register of specialized supervisors and an interministerial committee.
  • The regulations also address victim support, alternative measures and penalties, professional training, and coordination between agencies.

Argentina’s government has set out how the country’s new juvenile criminal system will operate, just two days after the law bringing it into force took effect. Decree 875/2026, published in the Official Gazette on Monday, regulates Law 27,801 and applies the new framework to adolescents from age 14 until the day they turn 18 when they are accused of criminal offenses.

The law was passed by the Senate in February and entered into force 180 days after its promulgation on March 9. The regulation fills in practical details that the legislation had left open, including who will supervise implementation, how supervisors will be appointed, and which agencies will coordinate the system within national and federal justice.

The Justice Ministry was designated as the enforcement authority. The decree gives it responsibility for implementing and coordinating the regime and calls for the creation of a Register of Juvenile Criminal System Supervisors. The register will include professionals trained in education, child and adolescent pedagogy, psychology, social work, or addiction services. Applicants must also demonstrate professional experience and specialized training in juvenile criminal justice.

Until the first public recruitment process is completed, the ministry must prepare a provisional list of qualified professionals. The decree sets a maximum period of 180 days to establish the permanent register. It also creates an Interministerial Committee for the Juvenile Criminal System within the Justice Ministry, described in the decree as a permanent mechanism for coordinating implementation.

The government said the regulation was needed for an “integrated and coordinated” rollout. It specifically cited supervisors, comprehensive care for victims, complementary measures and alternative penalties, specialized training for system operators, coordination between ministries and jurisdictions, and communications with the National Recidivism Register.

integrated and coordinated

· Argentine governmentThe government used the phrase in the decree’s rationale to describe the implementation of the new juvenile criminal system.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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