Mexico City Sees 69 Percent Drop in Inmate Population Since Start of 2015 Michael Lohmuller - InSight Crime
go to original May 24, 2015

Overcrowding in Mexico City's prisons has fallen by 69 percent over the last four months thanks to reforms in the criminal justice system that could offer a solution for other Latin American countries with overpopulated penitentiary systems.

According to Hazael Ruiz Ortega, the Undersecretary for Mexico City's Penitentiary System, the reduction is due to a reclassification of the types of crimes that are considered jailable offenses, reported El Universal.

In January, Mexico's Federal District reformed the criminal justice system so that several offenses - such as domestic disputes, arguments between neighbors, threats, and physical fights resulting in minor injuries - no longer go to trial. In addition, individuals accused of armed robbery or manslaughter resulting from negligence can now post bond instead of spending time in jail while criminal proceedings are underway.

The reforms have reportedly had a huge impact on Mexico City's prison population, where at least 20,582 - or 54 percent - of the Federal District's 38,160 inmates are behind bars for some type of robbery, according to government statistics cited by El Universal. Ruiz Ortega noted that petty theft like the robbery of auto parts worth around $30 or less used to result in one to two year sentences, "saturating the country's prisons".

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Over Crowded Mexican Prisons (Time/BorderGuards)

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