The Church rejected the lowering of the age of imputability: “Putting a boy in a position of imprisonment does not solve the problem at the root”

Bishop Dante Braida asked for more time for the deputies who plan to approve the project that sets the penalty at 14 years. He spoke of insecurity and warned: “In many places, control is being carried out by the narco gangs.”

The Government of Javier Milei and his allies at the Argentine congress will seek on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 to reach a consensus in commissions to move forward with a reform of the Juvenile Penal Regime that, among other modifications, includes the reduction from 16 to 14 years of the age of imputability to address crimes committed by adolescents.

The holder of social pastoral care, Monsignor Dante Braida, expressed his rejection of the legislative proposal that seeks to reduce the age of imputability to 13 years. He called for a more comprehensive look at adolescents in conflict with the law.

Monsignor Dante Braida repudiated the debate that will take place in Deputies next week to define a decrease in the age of imputability. "It does not solve the problem at the root," he said.

"We do not think that lowering the age is the right thing," said Monsignor Dante Braida, bishop of La Rioja and president of the Commission of Social Pastoral. He asked Deputies, who is preparing to fix the penalty at 14 years, to take time to establish a broader approach and that all social sectors can give their opinion, as well as to evaluate instances of prevention and recovery rather than criminal sanctions.

In the context of the legislative debate about the lowering of the age of criminal imputability in Argentina, the Catholic Church expressed its opposition to the project that proposes to reduce the minimum age for criminal liability of minors from 16 to 14. The pronouncement was made by Monsignor Dante Braida, Bishop of La Rioja and president of the Episcopal Commission of Social Pastoral, who warned about the consequences of moving forward in a…