This paper gives an overview of Mexico’s judicial reform process and where things stand now that the Peña Nieto government has assumed the presidency from Felipe Calderón. Assistant Professor Matthew Ingram (University at Albany, SUNY) authored the report, and below are his responses to questions about the report and further analysis of the reform.

 

Question: What is the significance of the criminal procedure reform? You assert in the paper that it has the potential to promote a change in the “overall sense of rule of law” in Mexico. Can you further explain this idea?

Answer: Podcast

Question: Overall, what is the state of implementation of the 2008 criminal procedure reform in Mexico?

Answer: Podcast

Question: What are the major ongoing challenges in implementing the reform?

Answer: Podcast

Question: You call Chihuahua the “frontrunner” in terms of its progress implementing the reform, and your analysis compares the progress of all other states against the benchmark of Chihuahua’s state of implementation. Why was Chihuahua able to approve the reforms relatively early? Are there policies in place that have enabled Chihuahua to maintain steady progress in implementation?

Answer: Podcast

Question: President Enrique Peña Nieto has proposed a unified code of criminal procedure that would replace all of the local codes of criminal procedure. If this legal centralization gains traction, what would the implications be?

Answer: Podcast