Caracas, 08 Feb. AVN.- Demographic growth in Venezuela has lead to look for solutions to deal with more efficiency and faster cases of minor offenses, explained the General Prosecutor of the Republic, Luisa Ortega Diaz, with regard to the municipalization of the judicial system.

"Being justice one of the most important social services, it is necessary to adapt penal justice system to demographic growth and social conflicts in Venezuela."

The General Prosecutor emphasized that the goal is to attack "the serious congestion found in the whole judicial system."

She detailed that the Public Ministry has 14 municipal prosecutor offices nationwide to release the load. Municipal prosecutors "solve cases of crimes with low sentences." Sentences ruled by municipal prosecutors can not exceed three years.

Municipal prosecutors offices are distributed in the country according to demographic rates. Thus, for example, Caracas has four offices while the whole Miranda state has three.

Municipalization of justice, a joint initiative between the Public Ministry and the Supreme Court of Justice, could be included in an eventual reform to the Criminal Procedure Organic Code, Ortega pointed out.

"Public Ministry is proposing that municipal justice be in charge of crimes which top sentence does not exceed eight years," and in case of minor offenses, to adopt "social service sanctions, not prison."