The administration of justice in light of demands for more effective punishment of crimes against property. (Province of Buenos Aires, 1915-1921)

Abstract

The political sphere in the province of Buenos Aires witnessed a shift in the 1910s whereby the focus in projects of legal reform moved from targeting the slowness with which cases were handled and violations of the rights of the accused to one on obstacles impeding criminals’ punishment. This was particularly the case when the Unión Cívica Radical [Radical Civic Union] took over the province, with several politicians maintaining that certain reforms introduced to the Penal Procedural Code in 1915 fostered criminal behavior. This article focuses on the legal administration in order to begin to identify the extent to which these questions of criminal legislation reflected reality. Our interest is in analyzing how judges interpreted and applied the aforementioned legal text upon its entry into a context of growing concern over crimes against property and demands for stricter punishments.