Motivación en las sentencias emitidas por los jueces de primer nivel en Ecuador

Abstract

Abstract: This work analyzes the motivation behind judgments issued by first-level judges in Ecuador, based on the study of criminal case 01571201802055, for the crime of rape. The aim is to assess whether the judicial decision meets the standards of sufficient and correct motivation required by the Constitution and procedural regulations. A qualitative, legal-dogmatic, and analytical approach is adopted, combining doctrinal and jurisprudential review with the application of the EL SER model and questionnaires on sufficiency and correctness. This allows for the breakdown of the judgment into its factual, evidentiary, and legal elements. The results show strengths in the formal structure of the decision, but also gaps in the explication of evidentiary standards and in the justification of the link between facts and the law, aspects that affect the guarantee of due process. The study proposes a replicable methodological framework for evaluating judicial motivation and contributes inputs for the training of justice operators.