Justice reform left incomplete

Mexico experienced a shift in power in 2000, after more than 7 decades of having the same party rule over the country. Many hopes for change came during that time because of this. While there has been some progress made ​– mainly on the exercise of our rights and freedoms – on transparency and public expenditure, and on democratic consolidation, in almost 20 years since then, the problem of serving justice effectively and impunity continue unresolved.

This Monday, it's the two-year anniversary of the launch of the new criminal justice system and the evaluation made by the World Justice Project isn't flattering. Many of the abuses committed during the previous system are still happening.

According to the study of this organization, 47% of prisoners under the new legal framework claims to have been threatened or have been imprisoned due to false evidence; moreover, 52% of prisoners claimed they have been left incommunicado under the new criminal justice system – during the previous system, the percentage was 61% yet a full change is still pending.

Another proof that the regions in Mexico progress at different paces, the organization considers that only in eight states the new system has been successful. In Chihuahua, Baja California, State of Mexico, Morelos, Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Yucatán, and Zacatecas – mainly the first state – the number of people imprisoned who have been found guilty is greater than the national average and more people have been arrested through an arrest order.

One of the bets of the accusatory system is to encourage investigation and intelligence tasks to gather evidence against the suspects arrested and thus enable an effective justice. However, the latest report of Global Impunity Index by the University of the Americas Puebla, places Mexico in the first place of impunity in the American continent and fourth worldwide. The same document acknowledges that data cannot fully be attributed to failures in the justice system.

It's convenient to recall that oral trials rely on a mechanism in which preventive prison is not the synonym of justice but there has been a lack of training in the police force – first actors of the accusatory system – and prosecutor offices, as their investigations are deficient and present only suspect statements as evidence, sometimes with irregularities.

Like in all change processes, it's urgent to modify that which isn't fulfilling its purpose and prevents the whole process from being consolidated. The reform isn't complete, there are institutions which fail to comply with their commitments. These are the ones we have to demand results from.

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