La imputabilidad y responsabilidad penal de los menores de edad en la legislación ecuatoriana

Abstract

This research will analyze the imputability regarding the criminal responsibility of children and adolescents in Ecuadorian legislation, to propose a possible reform in relation to the imputability of crimes, i.e. criminally relevant behaviors that are regulated in the COIP, so that children and adolescents in Ecuador could have criminal responsibility for the reprehensible, illegal, illegitimate act they have committed. One of the research tools used was the survey where citizens provided data as part of general strategies to obtain information, and will establish the minimum age from which citizens consider that children and adolescents should be considered as criminally responsible, taking into consideration different aspects such as the level of education of minors, the socioeconomic level of minors and the different effects that this would imply, both in the justice system and in the families of minors. Experts on the subject will be listened to so that based on their studies and experiences they can clearly give an objective opinion to lower the age of imputability. Likewise, what has been said by different authors in the field of Law will be considered, as well as by different psychologists who speak about the mental maturity of minors to recognize their acts.