An ‘almost total’ impunity reigns in Mexico when it comes to violent crimes

In a report published last week, Hallazgos2020(“hallazgos” means “findings”), the think tank México Evalúa found that 94.8 percent of the cases reported in Mexico go unpunished.

“It is a criminal justice system that does not respond to the demands of citizens because it has been left in distress. There is no political leadership to correct the deficiencies and allocate the resources that are required,” said Chrístel Rosales, a researcher for the organization’s justice program. 

The report found that 93.3 percent of cases aren’t reported to authorities and that of the small percentage that are, 95 percent go unpunished. The attorney general’s office initiated 38,855 investigations last year, 60 percent fewer than in 2019.

Although the investigation takes the coronavirus pandemic into account, experts say the population’s distrust of the justice system and its limitations also has an impact. 

It is a bleak scenario, because only three-tenths of 1 percent of cases are resolved. “It is almost total impunity,” Rosales said.

More women detained, and with longer sentences      

The México Evalúa report found that women experience inequality in the penal system because their rights are less respected.

When they testify, they are pressured to give other versions of events to a greater extent than men. In addition, fewer are afforded their rights, and 1 in 2 women are deprived of their freedom while awaiting sentence.

“The justice system is treating women differently, in a negative sense. … For example, they are given more extensive sentences than men, especially in sentences greater than 21 years, because two-thirds are women,” Rosales said. 

The problem is structural. Men dominate the judicial system, which widens the gaps and the inequalities.

“There is still a sexual division of labor. Women are assigned lower positions that are more administrative or secretarial, while positions of decision-making, research and strategic planning are occupied by men,” Rosales said.

Source: NBC News