Ecuadorian Juvenile Criminal Justice in the Face of the Rights of Victims and Society

Abstract

The increase in the participation of adolescents in the commission of serious crimes is a phenomenon that in addition to severely affecting the victims has a negative impact on society, causing citizens to feel unsafe in their homes, neighborhoods, educational centers, means of transport and other public spaces, in the face of this problem in many countries has arisen the controversial debate that proposes the realization of legal reforms that allow adolescents offenders are tried as adults. In this sense, this article will analyze several aspects related to juvenile criminal justice, including the criminal responsibility of minors within Ecuadorian legislation, origin and evolution of children's rights, factors associated with juvenile delinquency and the effectiveness of socio-educational measures, for which different methodological research strategies were used, such as the descriptive method,  historical-logical method, comparative method and administrative records were used in order to collect accurate statistics and data. Finally, it concludes by substantiating the need to design and implement a new juvenile penal system in which the age of criminal responsibility is reduced and the protection of victims and society in general is prioritized.