Penal Code reform is made law by the Senate

After more than 20 years of debates, the Senate definitively approved the long-awaited reform to the Penal Code, which includes more than 70 new criminal offenses and the toughening of several sanctions. The Senate turned the initiative into law during the extraordinary legislature held this Thursday.

The project incorporated some 64 modifications introduced by the Chamber of Deputies, with the technical support of the Attorney General's Office and the Public Defender's Office.

The reform seeks to update the Dominican penal system in the face of the challenges of modern crime and strengthen the State's response to crimes.

Legislative authorities highlighted that this would be the first time the country has a completely Dominican Penal Code, leaving behind the text inherited from the French Napoleonic Code of 1810. The law will be sent to the Executive Branch for its eventual enactment.