“President Javier Milei’s government will seek to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 14 during extraordinary sessions of Congress, reviving a long-running debate over juvenile crime and punishment,” reads a recent report. In my opinion, we’re attacking the symptom, not the disease; the effect, not the cause. Do we ever ask ourselves why there are more and more minors committing all sorts of crimes? Maybe their own lives are worth nothing, so they simply couldn’t care less about anybody else’s. Most of them are outcasts; they have nothing to lose. No schooling, dysfunctional families, poor environments, lousy examples – what can we expect from a kid or teenager who has been brought up in those circumstances? What choice have they got? I’m not justifying their criminal conduct, don’t get me wrong. I’m just saying that society should prevent juvenile crime before it’s too late. How? Providing education, training, employment; opening youth centres, local clubs; implementing strategies to keep them involved in positive activities, such as sports, arts. It sounds like day-dreaming, I know, but just punishing them seems short-sighted and misses the point in the long run.
Buenos Aires Times, Jan 31, 2026