# New Article from Adriana Alfaro Altamirano October 18, 2024 ![A headshot of a woman with black hair, glasses, and a calm expression on a grey background.](/sites/g/files/omnuum9911/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/center-for-ethics/files/alfaro_altamirano_headshot.jpeg?itok=R_GckaAx) Fellow-in-Residence [Adriana Alfaro Altamirano](/people/adriana-alfaro-altamirano) has published a new article in the [Journal of Social Philosophy](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14679833) with co-author [Adriana Ortega Ortiz](https://redalas-net.translate.goog/red/integrantes/adriana-ortega-ortiz?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true). In "The Categories of Criminal Law: Cognitive Injustice and Non-Sovereign Agency in the Civil Law Tradition," Alfaro Altamirano and Ortega Ortiz explore the distinction between "act-based" and "agent-based" approaches in criminal law within the civil law tradition. It critiques the act-based perspective for overlooking structural inequalities and contextual factors that influence human behavior, particularly in Latin American and European legal systems. The authors advocate for a more nuanced understanding of criminal justice, arguing that personal background and context should play a critical role in adjudicating crimes, with a focus on reducing epistemic injustice and oppressive power dynamics within legal practices. Alfaro Altamirano, A. and Ortega Ortiz, A. (2024), The Categories of Criminal Law: Cognitive Injustice and Non-Sovereign Agency in the Civil Law Tradition. *Journal of Social Philosophy*.