Inimputabilidad penal de menores de edad en delitos de homicidio en Ecuador: análisis jurídico y preventivo del uso de menores por organizaciones criminales

Abstract

Abstract: This study examines juvenile criminal non- responsibility in Ecuador in relation to adolescents involvement in homicide offences and its strategic exploitation by criminal organizations. Using a qualitative, analytical descriptive approach it integrates a review of the legal framework (the Constitution, the Children and Adolescents Code, the Comprehensive Criminal Code, and international standards), criminological and philosophical-legal scholarship, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (justice, police, and prevention practitioners). The findings indicate that partial juvenile non-liability combined with regulatory gaps, limited investigative capacity, and institutional weakness, lowers the effective penal cost for recruiters and enables the instrumentalization of minors as perpetrators and facilitators. As a contribution the thesis proposes a preventive and rights-based criminal policy response: prioritizing the prosecution of recruiters, strengthening socio-educational measures, improving inter-institutional coordination, and implementing community-based strategies that reduce structural vulnerabilities without expanding punitive power over adolescents.