Mexico Revamps Justice System

Mexico has completely revamped its justice system, the high points are:

  • The presumption of innocence (I guess they must have continued the Code Napoléon from their brief time as a French posession).
  • Public trials.
  • Allowing lawyers to argue orally before judges (it was all written briefs before).
  • Improvements to the public defender system.
  • Gives state and local police departments the power to investigate their own corruption, which had previously been an exclusively federal purview.

All in all, it looks like major improvements, though considering the starting point, this is not difficult.

I agree with the civil libertarians who are concerned about the 80 days detention without charge though.

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