A Digital System Proposal for Streamlined Consultations of Ecuador’s Comprehensive Penal Code

The Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code (COIP) serves as the backbone of Ecuador’s legal system, encompassing an extensive collection of articles and clauses fundamental to the nation’s judiciary processes. For legal professionals, scholars, and citizens alike, navigating this vast legal document can be a daunting and time-consuming endeavor. Recognizing this challenge, this paper introduces a novel digital platform tailored to streamline interactions with the COIP. Built upon intuitive design principles, our proposed system is equipped with article search functionalities, enabling users to swiftly locate and understand relevant legal texts within the COIP. The system further extends its utility through a unique case evaluation module, which allows users to input specific crimes, and any associated aggravating or mitigating factors. This feature provides real-time feedback on potential legal penalties, serving as a valuable tool for preliminary case assessments. To foster a seamless user experience, the platform includes personalized search history capabilities, ensuring that users can easily revisit their prior queries and legal findings. This feature is safeguarded by a robust login mechanism, emphasizing data privacy and security. In essence, this proposal paves the way for an innovative leap in legaltech within Ecuador. By marrying user-friendly design with sophisticated search and evaluation tools, the system promises to revolutionize how legal professionals, scholars, and the general public engage with the COIP, potentially setting a precedent for similar legal digital tools in the region.