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Criminal penalties in Argentina
Checked in October 2026 against the Código Penal de la Nación Argentina (Ley 11.179, T.O. 1984 actualizado), Infoleg text with amendments up to Ley 27.786 (March 2025).
These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. We read the code in its original language and give the offences in plain English, with the legal term where it helps. For anything that matters, rely on the code itself. Not legal advice.
How Argentina sets penalties
- The Código Penal names two kinds of custodial sentence, reclusión and prisión. Most articles say 'reclusión o prisión' with one range for both. Where an article names only one, it is shown that way. The difference between them is in how the sentence is carried out, which this table does not cover.
- Ranges are stated from a minimum to a maximum ('de ocho a veinticinco años'). The court sets the sentence within them. Aggravating and mitigating circumstances are in arts. 40 and 41.
- Argentina does not use degrees of murder. 'Homicidio simple' (art. 79) is the basic killing, with 8 to 25 years. Art. 80 lists aggravated killings (of a partner or relative, with cruelty or treachery, for a price, with premeditation by two or more persons, and others), punished with life. This table maps art. 80 to the 'first degree' row and art. 79 to the 'second degree' row.
- Where a figure is a fraction of a scale (for example, one third more at both ends when a firearm is used in a robbery, art. 166), the table shows the statute's own wording and not the computed figure.
- Drunk driving is left out. The Código Penal has no drunk-driving offence. It only matters here when a driver causes a death (art. 84 bis). Traffic rules are in separate laws that we have not read.
- This table shows the range for a first offence. Repeat offending (reincidencia, arts. 50 to 53) changes how time is served, not the ranges shown.
Death penalty: No. The Código Penal's most serious punishment is reclusión perpetua or prisión perpetua (life), set for aggravated homicide (art. 80).
Read the Argentina legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
First-degree murder
Life imprisonment (reclusión perpetua or prisión perpetua)
Aggravated homicide (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- Reclusión perpetua or prisión perpetua (life)
The article also says that art. 52 may be applied.
Art. 80 punishes with life anyone who kills a relative or a current or former partner; with cruelty, treachery or poison; for a price or promise of reward; for pleasure, greed or hatred on grounds such as race, religion, gender or sexual orientation; by a means that creates a common danger; with the premeditated participation of two or more persons; to prepare, commit or conceal another crime; a member of the security forces because of their role; or a woman, by a man, in a context of gender violence; among others.
Second-degree murder
8 to 25 years
Simple homicide (killing another person where no other article provides a different penalty) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 8 years
- Most
- 25 years
Voluntary manslaughter
1 to 5 years (killing by negligence); 1 to 3 years (prisión) or 3 to 6 years (reclusión) for a killing in a state of violent emotion
Homicide by imprudence, negligence or professional incompetence (with special disqualification of 5 to 10 years) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 5 years
The minimum rises to 2 years if there is more than one fatal victim.
Killing in a state of violent emotion that the circumstances make excusable; or causing death where the means used should not reasonably have caused death (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 3 years (reclusión) or 1 year (prisión)
- Most
- 6 years (reclusión) or 3 years (prisión)
Art. 81(1)(a) covers killing in a state of violent emotion which the circumstances make excusable. Art. 81(1)(b) covers causing death with the intention of harming the body or health, by a means that should not reasonably have caused death.
Robbery
1 month to 6 years (robbery), 5 to 15 years (armed or with serious injury), 10 to 25 years (robbery causing death)
Robbery (taking another's movable property with force on things or violence on persons) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 month
- Most
- 6 years
Robbery in an unpopulated place, in a gang, or by breaking through a wall, fence, roof, floor, door or window of an inhabited place (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 10 years
Robbery with violence causing the injuries of arts. 90 or 91, or with arms, or in an unpopulated place and in a gang (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
If a firearm is used, the scale is raised by one third at both the minimum and the maximum. If the firearm cannot be shown to be capable of firing, or the weapon is a prop, the range is 3 to 10 years.
Robbery in which a death results on the occasion of the robbery (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 25 years
Burglary
6 months to 2 years (entering a home) up to 10 years (robbery by breaking in)
Entering another's home or business, or its outbuildings, against the express or presumed will of the person entitled to exclude (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 2 years
Applies if no more severely punished offence results.
Robbery by breaking through a wall, fence, roof, floor, door or window of an inhabited place (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 10 years
Argentina has no offence called burglary. The nearest are trespass into a home or business (art. 150) and robbery with breaking through a wall, fence, roof, floor, door or window of an inhabited place (art. 167(3)).
Arson
3 to 10 years (common danger to property) up to 8 to 20 years (arson that causes death)
Fire, explosion or flooding creating a common danger to property (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 10 years
Fire, explosion or flooding creating a danger of death to a person (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 15 years
Fire, explosion or flooding that is the immediate cause of a person's death (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 8 years
- Most
- 20 years
Aggravated assault
1 month to 1 year (injury), 1 to 6 years (serious), 3 to 10 years (very serious)
Injury (any harm to the body or health not covered by another article) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 month
- Most
- 1 year
Serious injury (permanent weakening, danger to life, over a month's incapacity for work, permanent facial disfigurement) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 6 years
Very serious injury (incurable illness, permanent incapacity for work, loss of a sense, organ, limb or speech or of the ability to reproduce) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 10 years
The nearest offences are injury (lesiones) in three grades: any harm to the body or health (art. 89); permanent weakening of health, a sense, an organ or a limb, danger to life, or incapacity for work for over a month, or permanent disfigurement of the face (art. 90, 'grave'); and incurable illness, permanent incapacity for work, loss of a sense, organ, limb, speech or the ability to reproduce (art. 91, 'gravísima').
Rape and sexual assault
6 months to 4 years (sexual abuse) up to 8 to 20 years (aggravated sexual abuse with penetration)
Sexual abuse (art. 119, first paragraph) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 4 years
Sexual abuse that amounts to a gravely outrageous sexual subjugation of the victim (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 4 years
- Most
- 10 years
Sexual abuse with penetration (anal, vaginal or oral access, or acts with objects or parts of the body through the first two) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 6 years
- Most
- 15 years
Sexual abuse with penetration, aggravated (grave harm to health, committed by an ascendant, descendant, guardian or similar, by two or more persons or with arms, by police or security personnel in the course of duty, or against a minor under 18 living with the offender, among others) (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 8 years
- Most
- 20 years
Argentina uses the term 'abuso sexual'. The basic offence (art. 119) covers sexual abuse of a person under 13, or with violence, threat, coercive abuse of a relationship of dependence, authority or power, or taking advantage of a person who cannot freely consent.
Kidnapping
6 months to 3 years (unlawful deprivation of liberty) up to life (ransom kidnapping where the victim is intentionally killed)
Unlawfully depriving another of personal liberty (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 3 years
Deprivation of liberty with violence or threats, or against a relative or a person owed particular respect, or causing serious harm, among others (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 2 years
- Most
- 6 years
Taking, holding or hiding a person to force them or a third party to do, not do or tolerate something (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
The minimum rises to 8 years if the offender achieves the purpose. A range of 10 to 25 years applies in aggravated cases, such as a pregnant woman, a minor under 18 or a person over 70.
Taking, holding or hiding a person to obtain a ransom (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 5 years (8 years if the offender achieves the purpose; 10 years in aggravated cases)
- Most
- 15 years (25 years in aggravated cases; life if the victim is intentionally killed)
Embezzlement
1 month to 6 years (fraud, including unlawful retention of property held in trust)
Fraud by false name, simulated capacity, abuse of confidence, feigned goods or credit, or any other ruse or deceit (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 month
- Most
- 6 years
Refusal to return, or failure to return in due time, money or movable property received on deposit, commission or administration (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 month
- Most
- 6 years
Argentina has no offence called embezzlement. The nearest are fraud (art. 172) and the special cases of fraud in art. 173, which carry the same penalty. These include refusing to return or failing to return in due time money or movable property received on deposit, commission or administration (art. 173(2)), and fraud by a person in charge of another's property (art. 173(7)).
Forgery
6 months to 2 years (private document) up to 1 to 6 years (public document)
Making a false private document, or altering a true one, in a way that could cause harm (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 2 years
Prisión.
Making a false public document, or altering a true one, in a way that could cause harm (Prisión or reclusión)
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 6 years
Compare with: France, Russia, Algeria, Morocco, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Japan, Turkey, England and Wales, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, India, China, South Korea, Canada, Finland, Norway, Hungary, Czechia, Portugal, Ireland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Latvia.
