Revista de Estudios de la Justicia

Challenges and considerations in implementing Chilean law 21.057: Video-recorded interviews for child and adolescent victims

Paola Olate Cisternas — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article analyzes the challenges and design considerations involved in the implementation of public policy through the enactment of Law 21.057. This law regulates recorded video interviews and other protective measures for minors who are victims of sexual and violent crimes. Planned for a gradual three-stage rollout in Chile law aims to prevent secondary victimization of children and adolescents. It functions as a differentiated state policy for this age group, ensuring their access to the criminal process with protection and without infringing on their rights, while considering their developmental stage. The methodology employed an exhaustive literature review and consultation with experts in the field. The analysis focuses on law’s effectiveness, considering the factors legislature took into account to achieve its objectives. They include identifying facilitators or obstacles that might impact the law’s declared purpose of preventing the double victimization of children and adolescents during their involvement in the criminal justice system. By examining those factors, the article aims to assess the success of this public policy and potentially propose modifications to address shortcomings or prevent issues that could lead to its failure.

Motherhood in Chilean prisons: A view from the international human rights law standards

Daniela Paz Silva Energici — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This text analyzes the international standards that the State of Chile must comply with to ensure the proper protection of the female prison population, with an emphasis on women who serve sentences in prison during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It systematizes the applicable instruments of international human rights law, highlighting the American Convention on Human Rights as a regional standard, along with other treaties that refer to the situation of women and their status as prisoners. The work reviews the characteristics of the female prison population in Chile and their experience in penitentiary facilities, as well as compares the current regulations and national jurisprudence, considering the obligations imposed on the State through international treaties. The main objective is to analyze Chilean prison legislation to identify whether there are specific norms that adequately regulate the situation of pregnant and lactating women in prison, and to evaluate such regulations to comply with international standards for the protection of their fundamental rights, guaranteeing their dignity and well-being during the fulfillment of their sentences.

Emotional care as ethical duty of the justice system

Vanessa Turrillas Villagra — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When discussing public service, we often imagine a part of a larger system intricately linked to the concept of the State —a fictional entity that represents the collective will and aims to meet the needs of citizens. This paper emphasizes the critical role of emotional care in public service. It highlights how public servants' awareness and practice of emotional care may significantly enhance the quality of service they provide. Specifically, we will delve into the judicial field, where public servants, understood as members of the judiciary, officials and auxiliaries of the administration of justice, play a determining role. We will explore the importance of transcending established mental constructs, observing the profound impact of emotional care on jurisdictional and administrative aspects of the justice service. Consequently, this analysis will also shed light on how caring for emotions can help public servants to fulfill their ethical duty.

Necropolítica y entrevistas criminales en Brasil: Un análisis del legado de la tortura y los principios Méndez

Mariana Dos Santos de Almeida — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the persistence of torture and police brutality in Brazil, focusing on the contradictions between legal principles and actual practices within the criminal justice system. The objective is to identify the main constitutional principles and rights garanteed and examine how, besides them, historical legacies, institutional culture, and contemporary policies contribute to the ongoing violations of human rights, particularly during criminal interviews. The research employs a qualitative methodology, including a review of historical and legal documents, case studies, and analyses of recent reports and precedents. It explores the evolution of torture practices from Brazil’s colonial past through its latest military dictatorship and into the present, highlighting systemic issues in the legal and judicial frameworks. Key findings reveal a troubling continuity of torture mechanisms and police brutality, sustained by institutional complicity and socio-political factors. Despite formal constitutional protections, systemic violence remains pervasive, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. The study identifies significant gaps between constitutional guarantees and actual practices, particularly in the application of Precedent 70 from Rio de Janeiro State’s Court and the handling of custody hearings in Brazil, among many others. It also emphasizes the role of societal acceptance and institutional biases in perpetuating these abuses. The conclusions underscore the need for comprehensive reforms to bridge the gap between legal norms and practical realities. Enhancing accountability mechanisms, revising problematic legal precedents, and implementing the Méndez Principles for humane interviewing practices are essential steps. The study highlights the importance of addressing underlying socio-economic inequalities and fostering a cultural shift towards genuine respect for human rights to effectively combat torture and brutality. The significance of this research lies in its potential to inform some policy changes and legal reforms to enhance the Brazilian justice system, without attempting to cover all possibilities. By providing a detailed analysis of the systemic issues and proposing actionable solutions, the study contributes to the broader discourse on human rights and justice, advocating for a transformative approach to addressing entrenched abuses, ensuring the protection of constitutional rights and fortifying the democratic rule of law.

De “derechos de agua” a “derecho al agua”: El encuadre jurídico de los derechos de Modatima

Diego Alonso Ramirez Perez — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Este estudio examina el encuadre jurídico de los conflictos hídricos en Chile, centrándose en el movimiento social Modatima (Movimiento por la Defensa del Agua, la Tierra y la Protección del Medio Ambiente) y sus interacciones con el sistema judicial. Empleando un análisis cualitativo de contenido de 278 documentos de Modatima y 510 sentencias judiciales entre 2011 y 2023, analizamos cómo los conceptos de agua y derechos son enmarcados tanto por Modatima como por el poder judicial. La investigación revela tres encuadres jurídicos distintos del agua: el encuadre neoliberal de la Corte de Apelaciones, el encuadre de derechos humanos de la Corte Suprema y el encuadre democrático de Modatima. Nuestros hallazgos indican que el encuadre jurídico democrático de Modatima emerge de la aplicación de principios de derechos humanos a su contexto específico, resultando en una conceptualización del agua como bien común público y proponiendo nuevos derechos relacionados con el acceso al agua, las conexiones tierra-agua y la salud. Este encuadre desafía las interpretaciones jurídicas existentes y contribuye a la democratización de la gobernanza del agua. El estudio demuestra cómo los movimientos sociales pueden reformular las interpretaciones jurídicas y los procesos democráticos en la gestión de recursos y derechos ambientales. Destaca la compleja interacción entre los movimientos sociales, la toma de decisiones judiciales y la evolución del discurso sobre los derechos de agua en Chile. Estos hallazgos contribuyen a nuestra comprensión del papel de los movimientos sociales en la configuración de una gobernanza adaptativa del agua y ofrecen perspectivas sobre el potencial de enfoques innovadores para los conflictos hídricos en el contexto de los desafíos del cambio climático.

Continued crime, unit of action and judicial practice

Francisco Maldonado Fuentes — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This contribution seeks to critically analyze the doctrines that have proposed criteria for resolving cases where the potential concurrence of what doctrine refers to as a continuing offense is questioned. This analysis supports the idea that none of these doctrines have achieved a higher degree of recognition, either within the doctrine itself or in judicial practice. In all cases, they tend to justify why it might seem reasonable to assign these cases a more favorable (penologically privileged) treatment compared to cases of real homogeneous concurrence, rather than genuinely justifying that these are cases of unitary execution. In particular, this is mistakenly expressed in proposals that aim to arrive at universally valid criteria. Therefore, it concludes that the lack of recognition stems from the method of approach used, supporting the idea that the resolution of these problematic cases ultimately depends on an appropriate process of subsumption based on the interpretation of each specific type of offense, in accordance with all and each of the elements used in the various descriptions of the crime.

Critical analysis of the aggravating circumstances of cruelty or deliberately increasing the evil of the crime by causing other evils unnecessary for its execution

Gonzalo Agliati Vásquez, Angelo Rojas Adasme — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper studies the aggravating circumstance of cruelty provided for in article 12 number 4 of the Chilean Criminal Law, consisting of “deliberately increasing the evil of the crime by causing other evils unnecessary for its execution”, for which purpose its essential characteristics, the elements that constitute it and the relationships that mediate between this and other similar circumstances will be analyzed, proposing various solutions and interpretations for those aspects that seem confusing or lacking and adequate treatment by doctrine and jurisprudence.

To commit a crime while carrying weapons

Luis Rodríguez Collao, Álvaro Antivil Valencia — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This paper deals with the aggravating circumstance of criminal liability provided for in article 12 number 20 of the Chilean Criminal Code, consisting of executing a crime while carrying a weapon. The analysis includes the determination of the meaning and scope of this aggravating circumstance, as well as its nature, its basis and the relationships that can be established between it and other circumstances, in particular treachery. The paper concludes with a pronouncement on whether or not to include the use of weapons in the catalogue of circumstances.

He crime of receiving in Chilean criminal law: Special part considerations

Gonzalo Javier Bascur Retamal — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article approaches from the traditional scheme of the special part to the interpretation of the content of the crime established in article 456 bis A of the Criminal Code, called receiving, using the tools of the dogmatic-legal method in order to understand the meaning and scope of both the typical fact and the specific applicable rules of punishment, particularly considering the development carried out by the national literature.