Proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years, and would set two age groups: 12 to 16 and 17 to 18.
2. It would add two new measures: expulsion from Spanish territory for foreign minors, and loss of non-original Spanish nationality for minors of foreign origin who commit very serious crimes. Expulsion would carry an entry ban of at least 6 years.
3. Penalties for the most serious crimes would increase: for example, closed-center confinement could reach 8 years for minors aged 12 to 15 and 12 years for those aged 16 or 17, and up to 15 years in cases with several serious crimes.
4. Statute of limitations periods would change: the most serious crimes would follow the Criminal Code and minor offenses would expire after three months. Disciplinary sanctions inside detention centers would also be tougher.
5. Minors under 12 would not be held responsible under this law; child protection rules in the Civil Code would apply to them instead.
6. The law would take effect two months after publication in the Official State Gazette, and acts committed before then would be governed by the previous rules.

Who it affects

• Minors aged 14 and up to 18 who commit crimes, who could be prosecuted from age 12.: See point 1.
• Foreign minors or minors of foreign origin who are convicted, who could be expelled or lose non-original Spanish nationality.: See point 2.
• Victims of crimes committed by minors, whose rights are recognized in Article 4.: See point 5.
• Minors held in detention centers, who could face tougher disciplinary sanctions.: See point 4.

Words worth knowing

Edad penal (age of criminal responsibility)

The minimum age at which the law can hold a person criminally responsible for a crime.

Internamiento en régimen cerrado (closed-center confinement)

A measure where the minor lives in a center with strict limits on leaving and moving around.

Prescripción (statute of limitations)

Losing the ability to punish a crime after a certain time passes without resolution.

Nacionalidad española no de origen (non-original Spanish nationality)

Nationality acquired after birth, for example through residence, rather than at birth.

Delito leve (minor offense)

A low-level criminal offense, previously called 'falta'.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries