On March 27, El Salvador’s legislature approved a bill that would allow people under the age of 18 to receive life sentences for murder, rape and terrorism.
The move comes just weeks after Nayib Bukele’s government amended the constitution to allow life imprisonment for adults as part of its iron-fisted approach to crime.
According to human rights groups, the extension of the punishment means the severity of the country’s punitive policies has increased significantly, raising a number of ethical and legal concerns.
The amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act provide for the “inapplicability of special youth procedures” that previously housed children and young people in separate secure centers designed to provide a more nurturing environment for young prisoners.
With the support of El Salvador’s Institute for Comprehensive Development of Children and Youth, child-friendly court procedures and age-appropriate prisons that prioritize education, vocational training, psychological support and social reintegration have come to the fore.
However, under the revised law, children and young people can now be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Human rights groups warn that the reforms risk disproportionately targeting children and young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Many of them are already vulnerable to coercion and exploitation by organized crime.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) said in a joint statement that this reform “goes against the standards set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.” The standards state that for children in conflict with the law, “rehabilitation and reintegration should be a priority, and deprivation of liberty should be used only as a last resort and for the shortest and most appropriate time.”
Bukele has been a divisive figure in El Salvador since he was elected president in 2019. He declared a state of emergency in March 2022 to combat gang violence, giving authorities broad powers to arrest and detain without warrants individuals suspected of gang membership.
The state of emergency, scheduled to last no more than 30 days, has been extended more than 20 times as Bukele continues his campaign against criminal networks, groups, individuals and affiliates.
As of March 2026, about 91,500 people had been arrested under the state of emergency, according to official government statistics.
Although this policy is known to reduce murder rates and improve public safety, its implementation has been highly controversial. According to the report, many individuals, even teenagers and young adults, were detained based on scant evidence, including their socioeconomic status.
This raises the alarming possibility that a minor could be sentenced to life in prison based solely on suspicion rather than proven criminal activity.
But Bukele appears to have been an unstoppable force during his term, polling more often than any other Latin American leader in terms of popularity.
Arrest of minors in repeated emergencies
Precedent of President Bukele firm hands The policy is particularly relevant to the new Youth Criminal Justice Act, which will soon be amended.
Salvadoran security forces have already detained more than 3,300 children, many of whom have no apparent connection to the gang’s criminal activities, according to a Human Rights Watch report.
The risk of young people being sentenced to life in prison based on flawed evidence or coerced confessions is a major concern for NGOs and analysts.
“The changes place children under the authority of El Salvador’s adult prison administration, which is responsible for torture and other serious abuses,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.
The reforms promise “regular reviews” of life sentences, but questions still arise about whether alternatives to rehabilitation programs are possible within the prison system.
Previous criminal law amendments that determined that criminal courts have “exclusive jurisdiction” to hear cases “against adults and minors” involved in offenses punishable by life imprisonment equally raise concerns about the adequacy of legal representation for minors.
If the effects of the “Bukele Method” continue to be rigorously enacted, young people will likely continue to face unjust arrests.
Minor transferred to adult prison
Equally worrying is the “Bukele Method” precedent, which illustrates the tendency for young offenders to be absorbed into an already overburdened prison system.
UNICEF and CRC similarly argued that “detention is not only harmful to children, it is costly and ineffective in preventing crime.”
Juanita Goebertus said children are at risk of abuse in the adult prison system, explaining that “the transfer of children to detention facilities designed and operated for adults, even if they are nominally placed in separate areas, is a massive regression in the rights of children in El Salvador.”
Evidence shows that young children and adolescents who are imprisoned for “cooperating” with organized crime groups or minor crimes are more likely to reoffend or become more closely associated with criminal groups during their time in prison.
Although many Salvadorans believe Bukele’s hard-line policies have led to safer streets and a dramatic reduction in violence, international organizations such as UNICEF warn that the “special nature of the juvenile justice system” and that security interests may be fragile unless the rights of all children are fully guaranteed.
Failure to invest in rehabilitation, education and social reintegration risks entrenching the vicious cycle of crime that these policies aim to eliminate. Prioritizing punitive measures over children’s rights can ultimately undermine both long-term public safety and the well-being of future generations.
Featured image caption: (From left) Secretary of Defense Rene Merino Monroy, Penal Center Director Osiris Luna Meza, President Nayib Bukele, Public Works Minister Romeo Herrera, and National Civil Police Chief Mauricio Arriaza Chicas tour the Center for Detention of Terrorism (CECOT) in January 2023.
Main image source: Office of the President of El Salvador.
