Rule of Law: Measuring Reforms to Mexico's Broken Justice System

Measuring Reforms to Mexico's Broken Justice System: "Mexico’s efforts to reform its weak and widely mistrusted judicial system have broad support among legal professionals, though many are skeptical that it will reduce crime, according to a study. ...

Mexico is now undergoing a shift from an inquisitorial system of justice, which presumes the guilt of the accused, to an adversarial or oral trial system, which presumes innocence, following the passage of a 2008 federal judicial reform law. The reforms also plan to increase transparency, throwing court proceedings open to the public, and giving every defendent the right to representation by a qualified public defender.

The changes are being implemented state by state at different rates, with varying results, over the course of eight years. The Trans-Border Institute has carried out a study, entitled "JusticiaBarometro: Survey of Judges, Prosecutors and Public Defenders in Nine Mexican States," which surveyed legal professionals in Mexico....

The legal system is the foundation of the rule of law, and Mexico’s fight against organized crime may depend upon the establishment of an effective and respected judicial system through these reforms. Based on these survey results, the new system enjoys widespread support among legal professionals in Mexico. Ultimately, however, the success of Mexico’s judicial reforms will be measured in decades not years.