The Fight Against Crime and Correctional Treatment

Abstract

This article offers a critical analysis of the approach of the penal and penitentiary system in its fight against crime, focusing on the limited effectiveness of imposing penalties as the sole response without addressing the underlying causes of criminal phenomenon. In view of this, the author addresses the advances of adopting personalized formulas adapted to each offender, emphasizing individualized treatment as a way to achieve the legal-social rehabilitation of the offender and prevent recidivism. In this regard, he examines the treatment in the minimum standards rules of the United Nations and Mexico, as well as in Peruvian law. While there are positive aspects of these standards, the author recognized that this approach faces significant logistical and economic challenges that are not properly addressed, rendering the treatment insufficient on its own. Aware of the limitations and poor results, the author identifies the problem in the lack of effective preventive action. In this line, he proposes as a strategy the identification of children prone to dissocial and criminal behavior in order to apply immediate scientific treatment.