María Alejandra Álvarez, I am a lawyer specialized in Criminal Law from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. I also completed the Diploma Program in Prison Affairs and Sentence Enforcement at the Universidad de San Isidro. In ongoing training, I am studying Social Psychology and the postgraduate program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at the Universidad de Tres de Febrero.
My professional path began in the Rights Promotion and Protection System of the Province of Buenos Aires. Since 2011 I have worked in the Judiciary of the Province of Buenos Aires, first at the Juvenile Guarantees Court of San Miguel, and currently at Criminal Enforcement Court No. 1 of Morón.
I am part of the Asociación Pensamiento Penal, in the Prison Policy and Childhood and Adolescence areas, and I am co-responsible for that section of the Revista Pensamiento Penal.
I am a member of Víctimas por la Paz, and through it I took part in the first restorative circle between an indirect victim and an offender, in the context of the sentence enforcement of an adolescent convicted of homicide during a robbery (2019).
I am a member of SAJuR's founding board of directors.
Academic Background
- Lawyer, Universidad de Buenos Aires (2005).
- Diploma Program in Criminal Enforcement and Prison Affairs, Universidad de San Isidro (2018).
- Diploma Program in Models and Practices of Self-Management, Logics of Care, and Restorative Justice (Cooperativa Liberté) - Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata.
- Postgraduate Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (in progress).
Philosophy and Approach
My professional approach is grounded in promoting and protecting Human Rights, fostering dialogue, and building community-based, more humane ways of resolving conflict from a restorative perspective. Working across disciplines allows different viewpoints on the same issue to be amplified and a comprehensive response to be built.