Executive Branch enacts improvements to the Penal Code

Santo Domingo.– The President of the Republic promulgated this Monday, through Decree No. 507-26, the reforms to the Penal Code recently approved by the National Congress, while also ordering the creation of a commission in charge of monitoring the application of the regulations and evaluating possible improvements.

The commission will be chaired by the former president of the Constitutional Court, Milton Ray Guevara, and composed of jurists Leyda Margarita Piña Medrano, Pedro Balbuena, Ricardo Rojas León, Julio César Castaños Guzmán, Luz Díaz, José Lorenzo Fermín, Eduardo Jorge Prats, and Alejandro Moscoso Segarra. It is also comprised of journalists Persio Maldonado and Aníbal de Castro.

According to the Executive Branch, this body will be responsible for promoting the socialization of the new Penal Code and coordinating discussions on potential modifications that strengthen the legislation.

We recommend reading: Senators approve amendments to the Penal Code in two consecutive readings

The Government stated that the enactment of the regulation represents a step towards the modernization of the legal system, by incorporating reforms resulting from democratic consensus and a process of technical and institutional review.

Likewise, he maintained that the new Code strengthens the protection of fundamental rights, respect for due process, and the country’s institutional framework.

Among the changes introduced, the legislation incorporates new criminal offenses to respond to the dynamics and challenges of the 21st century.