Poliy Mic: "When President Obama head to Colombia this week for the Summit of the Americas, he will face some difficult and important questions that no president before him has really had to answer.
With the U.S.-led drug war into its fourth decade, the leaders of South and Latin America are demanding change and reform from the largest importer of drugs in the hemisphere and the mightiest enforcer of drug prohibition. Despite the growing influence and voice of our southern neighbors, President Obama lacks the incentives and the principles to stop, or even commit major reforms on, the disastrous drug war. read more
The MexicoBlog of the CIP Americas Program monitors and analyzes international press on Mexico with a focus on the US-backed War on Drugs in Mexico and the struggle in Mexico to strengthen the rule of law, justice and protection of human rights. Relevant political developments in both countries are also covered.
Apr 11, 2012
Gallup poll: Mexicans more afraid to walk alone at night
Los Angeles Times: " Mexicans' trust in their military and national police has steadily declined since 2007, the first full year of President Felipe Calderon's war against drug cartels, a new Gallup poll says.
The poll released last week also finds that most Mexicans said they felt less safe walking alone at night in 2011 than they did in 2007.
The findings suggest that two key points of perception in Mexico's conflict -- safety and confidence in authorities -- have eroded since the start of the military-led campaign in late 2006.
In the poll, 56% of Mexicans said they didn't feel safe walking alone at night in their city or neighborhood in 2011, in contrast to 57% who said they felt safe walking alone at night in 2007.
The poll shows a steady decline of confidence in the military, from 64% in 2007 to 58% in 2011. Only 38% of respondents expressed confidence in the government in 2011, and 35% said they trusted the federal police, down significantly from 50% in 2007, Gallup reports." read more
The findings suggest that two key points of perception in Mexico's conflict -- safety and confidence in authorities -- have eroded since the start of the military-led campaign in late 2006.
In the poll, 56% of Mexicans said they didn't feel safe walking alone at night in their city or neighborhood in 2011, in contrast to 57% who said they felt safe walking alone at night in 2007.
The poll shows a steady decline of confidence in the military, from 64% in 2007 to 58% in 2011. Only 38% of respondents expressed confidence in the government in 2011, and 35% said they trusted the federal police, down significantly from 50% in 2007, Gallup reports." read more
Apr 10, 2012
Gorilla in the Room: Mapping Pre-Summit Drug Policy Positions
InSight Crime: Drug policy will not officially be discussed during this week's Summit of the Americas, making it the proverbial "gorilla in the room." In the first in a series of articles examining this beast of an issue, InSight Crime maps where each country stands on drug legalization.
In an April 7 editorial, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said he was for moving beyond the rhetoric around drug prohibition and legalization.
"Our proposal, as the Guatemalan government, is to abandon any ideological position (whether prohibition or liberalization) and to foster a global intergovernmental dialogue based on a realistic approach -- drug regulation," the former army general wrote in the Guardian newspaper's weekend edition the Observer. read more
In an April 7 editorial, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said he was for moving beyond the rhetoric around drug prohibition and legalization.
"Our proposal, as the Guatemalan government, is to abandon any ideological position (whether prohibition or liberalization) and to foster a global intergovernmental dialogue based on a realistic approach -- drug regulation," the former army general wrote in the Guardian newspaper's weekend edition the Observer. read more
New Law Requires Treatment for First-time Drug Offenders in Mexico
La Jornada: (Americas Program original translation)
Alejandra Barrales, chairwoman of the Committee of Governors of the ALDF, and Congressman Horacio Martinez unveiled an initiative known as the Law for the Jurisdictional Treatment of Addictions, which will be presented tomorrow before a full congressional session and mandates that first-time drug offenders who have not committed a serious crime be sent to a certified treatment facility, not prison.
Therapeutic jurisprudence considers addiction a public health problem, not a crime. It seeks to rehabilitate the accused under the supervision of the Addiction Treatment Court for up to two years, or return them to prison to serve out their sentences, lower recidivism by reducing or eliminating drug or alcohol use, and achieve social reintegration.
Eligible individuals, including incarcerated adolescents, who, in 80 percent of cases committed crimes under the influence of drugs, are those who have already received formal arrest, repaid damages to the victim, are first offenders, express their willingness to submit to the process, and have not committed serious crimes, explained lawmakers.
If approved, the law will be first in the country to give judicially mandated treatment to addicts. Drug use has grown to such a degree that it ranks second among claims and concerns made by citizens of the capital; the first is public insecurity said the congressman before United Nations representatives and officials from the Mexico City goverrnment.
“Addictions are neither a vice, nor a criminal behavior, but a chronic and progressive brain disorder that requires treatment,” said Rafael Camacho Solís, director of the Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Addiction. He noted that 37 percent of inmates in the capital’s prisons committed crimes under the influence of drugs, thus “we should get to the bottom of the matter and I hope the next legislature allocates sufficient resources for the required infrastructure.”
Édgar Elías Azar, Chief Justice of the Federal District Court, said: “Lawmakers need to plan a budget. We don’t want to be caught in something ridiculous; there are only 2 judges out of 25 that give out sentences. This new proposal requires training five to ten judges who carry along the process and verify that the institutions apply the treatment.”
Today, 80 percent of criminal trials are for theft. Of these, 40 percent involve those under the influence of a narcotic substance; the application of therapeutic jurisprudence would help solve the problem. In the U.S., the implementation of such a program, known as “drug courts,” has reduced both the prison population and recidivism substantially, he said.
He said that on Tuesday the Judicial Council requested the implementation of a statistical study of how many first offenders are addicted to determine the number of courts.
The first stage would deal with 2,000 people. See Spanish original
Translation by Michael Kane, Americas Program
Alejandra Barrales, chairwoman of the Committee of Governors of the ALDF, and Congressman Horacio Martinez unveiled an initiative known as the Law for the Jurisdictional Treatment of Addictions, which will be presented tomorrow before a full congressional session and mandates that first-time drug offenders who have not committed a serious crime be sent to a certified treatment facility, not prison.
Therapeutic jurisprudence considers addiction a public health problem, not a crime. It seeks to rehabilitate the accused under the supervision of the Addiction Treatment Court for up to two years, or return them to prison to serve out their sentences, lower recidivism by reducing or eliminating drug or alcohol use, and achieve social reintegration.
Eligible individuals, including incarcerated adolescents, who, in 80 percent of cases committed crimes under the influence of drugs, are those who have already received formal arrest, repaid damages to the victim, are first offenders, express their willingness to submit to the process, and have not committed serious crimes, explained lawmakers.
If approved, the law will be first in the country to give judicially mandated treatment to addicts. Drug use has grown to such a degree that it ranks second among claims and concerns made by citizens of the capital; the first is public insecurity said the congressman before United Nations representatives and officials from the Mexico City goverrnment.
“Addictions are neither a vice, nor a criminal behavior, but a chronic and progressive brain disorder that requires treatment,” said Rafael Camacho Solís, director of the Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Addiction. He noted that 37 percent of inmates in the capital’s prisons committed crimes under the influence of drugs, thus “we should get to the bottom of the matter and I hope the next legislature allocates sufficient resources for the required infrastructure.”
Édgar Elías Azar, Chief Justice of the Federal District Court, said: “Lawmakers need to plan a budget. We don’t want to be caught in something ridiculous; there are only 2 judges out of 25 that give out sentences. This new proposal requires training five to ten judges who carry along the process and verify that the institutions apply the treatment.”
Today, 80 percent of criminal trials are for theft. Of these, 40 percent involve those under the influence of a narcotic substance; the application of therapeutic jurisprudence would help solve the problem. In the U.S., the implementation of such a program, known as “drug courts,” has reduced both the prison population and recidivism substantially, he said.
He said that on Tuesday the Judicial Council requested the implementation of a statistical study of how many first offenders are addicted to determine the number of courts.
The first stage would deal with 2,000 people. See Spanish original
Translation by Michael Kane, Americas Program
Mexico Presidential Front-Runner Supports Military Deployment
InSight Crime: "The leading candidate in Mexico’s presidential elections has said that he will use the army and navy to combat organized crime, raising questions over how much his security policies would differ from those of the current administration.
After months of criticizing the security strategy of current President Felipe Calderon, Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has declared support for the role of the armed forces in taking on drug trafficking organizations. In a press conference on Sunday, Peña Nieto praised the army and navy, crediting the two branches with improving security in some parts of the country." read more
After months of criticizing the security strategy of current President Felipe Calderon, Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has declared support for the role of the armed forces in taking on drug trafficking organizations. In a press conference on Sunday, Peña Nieto praised the army and navy, crediting the two branches with improving security in some parts of the country." read more
Mexico's Pena Nieto plans new police to fight drug gangs
Reuters: "Mexico's presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto pledged on Monday to create a new police force made up of former soldiers to fight drug gangs and said ending violence would take priority over battling the traffickers if he wins the election.
Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is the hot favorite to win the presidency on July 1, a contest that has been dominated by concerns about rampant drug violence and the need to create more jobs in Mexico. read more
Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is the hot favorite to win the presidency on July 1, a contest that has been dominated by concerns about rampant drug violence and the need to create more jobs in Mexico. read more
Adjustments for Mexico candidate Vazquez Mota after shaky start
Los Angeles Times: After an emptying stadium, angry protests, and a near fainting spell, Mexican presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota on Monday announced a "change of course" in her campaign to be elected Mexico's first female president.
The race for the presidency is still commanded comfortably by front-runner Enrique Peña Nieto, the fresh-faced candidate of the old-guard party known as the PRI. As the days tick away toward the July 1 vote, Vazquez Mota and the other trailing candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, are searching for a boost.
"We're going to show that we are different," Vazquez Mota said at her headquarters, echoing the ruling party's central campaign theme, "Diferente." read more
The race for the presidency is still commanded comfortably by front-runner Enrique Peña Nieto, the fresh-faced candidate of the old-guard party known as the PRI. As the days tick away toward the July 1 vote, Vazquez Mota and the other trailing candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, are searching for a boost.
"We're going to show that we are different," Vazquez Mota said at her headquarters, echoing the ruling party's central campaign theme, "Diferente." read more
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