The Sinaloa Congress, one of the most violent states in the country, unanimously approved a reform to punish the recruitment of children and adolescents to carry out criminal activities with up to 30 years in prison, as well as establishing protection protocols and specialized assistance at the state and municipal levels.
The amendment incorporates into the state’s Penal Code the autonomous offense of recruiting people under 18 years of age to carry out illicit activities and establishes a basic sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison for those responsible, as well as a fine equivalent to 800 to 600 days of the Unit of Measurement and Update (UMA).
The penalties may be increased by up to one-half when the person responsible is a family member or has custody, guardianship, or responsibility for the child’s education; when the recruitment is carried out through physical or psychological violence, abuse of power, or exploitation of a vulnerable situation.
The penalties may also be increased when the recruiter is a public official or when the victim is in a vulnerable condition, including abandonment, orphanhood, migration, forced displacement, homelessness, or disability.
With the amendment to the Penal Code, recruited children are recognized as victims of crime and not merely as offenders or members of criminal activities. The ruling states that the institutional response must take into account the violence and exploitation to which they are subjected.
Likewise, it establishes the same penalties and aggravating circumstances for conduct committed against people who lack the capacity to understand the meaning of the act or to resist it.
The local Legislature based the reform on the principle of the best interests of children, as well as the principles of specificity and proportionality of penalties.
The reforms and additions resulted from four initiatives presented independently by Morena, PVEM, and PRI.
The PVEM proposal, promoted by Representative Yeraldine Bonilla, sought to make the recruitment of minors an autonomous offense and establish sentences of 10 to 30 years in prison.
The PRI proposed amendments to the Law on the Rights of Children and Adolescents to establish public policies for prevention, assistance, rehabilitation, and reparation of damages, in addition to specialized protocols.
The Morena initiative, presented by Representative Arely Ruiz López, proposed criminalizing the recruitment or use of people under 18 years of age to commit crimes.
Legislator María Teresa Guerra Ochoa and other members of the Morena party proposed incorporating a chapter into the Penal Code to punish recruitment and establish aggravating circumstances under the principle of the best interests of children.
The ruling warns of an increase in the number of minors incarcerated for crimes related to criminal groups in Sinaloa. According to the data cited, the number increased from four adolescents incarcerated in September 2024 to 96 in December 2025, for activities such as surveillance, retail drug dealing, and serving as lookouts.
In the area of prevention, Article 13 of the state’s Law on the Rights of Children and Adolescents was amended, requiring state and municipal authorities to implement public policies for the prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, and reparation of damages in cases involving the recruitment or use of minors by criminal groups.
Source: jornada
