El Ciudadano
On the day when the Senate discusses the general aspects of the bill amending Law No. 20.084 concerning juvenile criminal responsibility, the Child Advocacy Office held the event «For Effective Youth Justice: Prevention, Accountability, and Social Reintegration Based on Evidence.»
The event aimed to provide technical input for the legislative debate and gather recommendations to strengthen the proposals the office will present to the National Congress and other relevant authorities.
Led by the Child Advocate, Anuar Quesille, the meeting emphasized that enhancing public safety requires the state to make evidence-based decisions aimed at preventing future crimes.
«Concerns about safety are legitimate and shared by society as a whole. Therefore, the state’s decisions must be grounded in proven effectiveness,» stated the Child Advocate.
Quesille pointed out, «In youth justice, accountability for actions, prevention of new crimes, and social reintegration are not opposing goals: they are necessary dimensions for an effective response that contributes to public safety.»
The meeting provided an updated overview of adolescent criminal behavior, current legislative initiatives, and the main challenges faced by the juvenile justice system. Following this, a technical discussion was held with experts in criminology, youth justice, public policy, human rights, and social reintegration.
Participants included Catalina Droppelmann, Ximena Gauché, Isaac Ravetllat, Francisca Werth, Jaime Gajardo Falcón, Francisco Maldonado, and other academics from institutions such as Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, University of Chile, Diego Portales University, Alberto Hurtado University, University of Concepción, University of Valparaíso, Catholic University of the North, University of Tarapacá, Central University, University of Talca, and Academy of Christian Humanism, among others.
Joint Declaration
At the conclusion of the event, participants agreed to sign a joint declaration stating that, in accordance with human rights standards and the best interest of children and adolescents, «an effective juvenile criminal responsibility system must be specialized, differentiated, and simultaneously focused on prevention, accountability, and social reintegration.»
The declaration warns that existing evidence does not support the notion that measures focused solely on harshening sanctions, deterrence, or lowering the age of criminal responsibility decrease recidivism and may, in some cases, even increase it.
In contrast, they highlight the importance of therapeutic, socio-educational, and cognitive-behavioral interventions; continuity in education; and strengthening family and community capacities.
Additionally, participants urged the Senate to convene a technical working group to gather specialized evidence to enrich legislative discussions and contribute to effective, just, and sustainable public decision-making.
Moreover, they emphasized the need to address structural issues that affect the functioning of the system, including the effectiveness of criminal investigations, the high proportion of provisional archives, the necessity for effective judicial alternatives, and ongoing challenges in the execution of measures and sanctions.
The declaration also underscores the need for the state to ensure adequate, sufficient, and permanent financial resources to strengthen comprehensive protection and multisystemic prevention and reintegration programs.
«With this call, as the Child Advocacy Office, we reaffirm our commitment to contribute to the public debate based on evidence, promoting policies that enhance safety, improve the youth justice system’s response, and guarantee the absolute respect for the rights of children and adolescents,» emphasized Child Advocate Anuar Quesille.
La entrada Child Advocacy Office Highlights Ineffectiveness of Solely Harshening Sanctions to Reduce Recidivism in Youth Justice Debate se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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