Agreements published in the Official Gazette of this January 8 introduce adjustments to the Accusatory Penal System (SPA) that limit discretion in the management of hearings and reorganize the operational structure of judicial offices. The approved agreements establish procedures and mandatory manuals for the operation of the Judicial Offices of the Accusatory Penal System, especially regarding the scheduling, control, and development of hearings, as well as the distribution of functions among different judicial offices. Among the changes, explicit operational criteria are set for the assignment of hearings, the roles of officials involved in each stage of the process, and internal control mechanisms, reducing practices that were previously subject to the administrative criteria of each office. The provisions also formalize specific protocols for handling sensitive cases, including the use of procedural tools such as the Gesell chamber, which are upgraded from internal guidelines to standardized procedures within the penal system. According to what was published in the Official Gazette, the adjustments do not modify the model of the Accusatory Penal System, but they do impact its daily application by establishing clear and uniform rules for the internal management of processes and the conduct of hearings.
