The report sheds light on the shortcomings of the Mexican criminal justice system and highlights that “overburdening prosecutors, courts and public defenders can lead to procedural errors, hasty investigations or inadequate defenses, compromising due process.”
The organization México Evalúa warned this Thursday that more than 93% of the crimes that are reported and investigated go unpunished in the country, and warned of the lack of attention to the causes and the risks that judicial reform and militarization pose for criminal justice institutions.
According to the report ‘Findings 2023: Monitoring and Evaluation of the Criminal Justice System’, presented in the Mexican capital, last year 93.6% of the crimes investigated went unpunished throughout the country, with higher rates in the states of Oaxaca (99.9%), Jalisco (99.1 2%) and Colima (97.5%).
In addition, the crimes with the highest rates of impunity last year were forced disappearance (99.5%), extortion (98.3%), fraud (97.2%) and intentional homicide (96.8%).
The report scrutinizes the deficiencies of the Mexican criminal justice system and highlights that “overburdening prosecutors, courts and public defenders can lead to procedural errors, hasty investigations or inadequate defenses, compromising due process.”
In addition, it highlights that in 2023, each prosecutor or agent of the Public Ministry handled an average of 310 investigation files, an increase of 71%, compared to the 181 reported in 2022; while each criminal judge handled an average of 356 cases, when the previous year it was 335.
In the midst of the controversy over the election of judges in 2025, the NGO warned that the promoters of the judicial reform assured that it will contribute to the reduction of impunity, but “in reality its causes and conditions were ignored.”
Likewise, it warned that “involving the National Guard in the investigation of crimes will distort criminal justice, since its military training lacks the focus on citizen security and human rights necessary for an effective investigation.”
Susana Camacho, coordinator of the Justice Program of México Evalúa, pointed out that “currently, only 3.6% of the investigation files reach a judge.”
“One of the factors for this low percentage is the lack of criminal investigation capabilities, which is the responsibility of the prosecutors,” Camacho said at the presentation of the report.
Mariana Campos, general director of the organization, indicated that “to improve criminal justice, institutions need to be strengthened with sufficient and trained personnel.”
“To achieve this, it will not be enough to invest more resources. Their distribution must be reconsidered with a vision of sustainability, inclusion and orientation towards results,” she said.
Among other findings, México Evalúa highlighted that the fastest criminal proceedings were through reparatory agreements, with 214 days on average; while oral trials were the longest, with 553 days.
With this, the NGO questioned the access to prompt and expeditious justice promised by the next election of judges, magistrates and ministers in June 2025.
Original article at Aristegui Noticias, November 1st, 2024.
Translated by Schools for Chiapas.