Pretrial Detention from the Review for Compliance. The Binomial of Proportionality and Proper Grounds for Prosecutor General’s Decisions as a Rule in Peruvian Criminal Prosecution

Abstract

This article aims to argue the need to consider proportionality and proper grounds for prosecutor general’s decisions as the rule and detention as an exception. This rule will be based on a unified inter-American legal standard and the review for compliance with the American Convention on Human Rights, raising the bar required to issue a pretrial detention order. First, we provide an overview of pretrial detention in the Americas and outline each related case that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has settled and their noteworthy legal grounds. These cases are analyzed from an interpretation of conformity and reconciled with Articles 268, 269, and 270 of the Peruvian Criminal Prosecution Code and the most significant rulings of Peruvian high courts. Finally, we exhaustively discuss the proposed rules that will result in a reinforced protective state if they are harmonized while remaining legally independent.