The organization México Evalúa warned this Thursday that more than 93% of the crimes that are reported and investigated go unpunished in the country, and warned of the lack of attention to the causes and the risks that judicial reform and militarization pose for the criminal justice institutions.
According to the report ‘Findings 2023: monitoring and evaluation of the criminal justice system’, presented in the Mexican capital, last year 93.6% of the crimes investigated went unpunished throughout the country, with higher rates in the states of Oaxaca (99.9% ), Jalisco (99.12%) and Colima (97.5%).
In addition, the crimes with the highest rates of impunity last year were forced disappearance (99.5%), extortion (98.3%), fraud (97.2%) and intentional homicide (96.8%).
The report puts a magnifying glass on the deficiencies of the criminal justice system and highlights that “the overload in prosecutor’s offices, courts and public defender’s offices can lead to procedural errors, hasty investigations or inadequate defenses, compromising due process.”
Furthermore, he highlighted that in 2023, each prosecutor or agent of the Public Ministry handled an average of 310 investigation folders, an increase of 71%, compared to the 181 reported in 2022; while each judge in criminal matters heard on average 356 cases, when the previous year there were 335.
In the midst of the controversy over the election of judges in 2025, the NGO warned that the promoters of the judicial reform assured that it will contribute to the reduction of impunity, but “in reality its causes and conditions were ignored.”
Likewise, he warned that “involving the National Guard in the investigation of crimes will distort criminal justice, since their military training lacks the focus on citizen security and human rights necessary for an effective investigation.”
Susana Camacho, coordinator of the Mexico Evalúa Justice Program, pointed out that “currently, only 3.6% of investigation files reach a judge.”
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“One of the factors of this low percentage is the lack of criminal investigation capabilities, which is the responsibility of the prosecutor’s offices,” said Camacho, in the presentation of the report.
Mariana Campos, general director of the organization, indicated that “to improve criminal justice, institutions need to be strengthened with trained and sufficient personnel.”
“To achieve this, it will not be enough to invest more resources. Its distribution must be rethought with a vision of sustainability, inclusion and results orientation,” he stated.
Among other findings, México Evalúa highlighted that the fastest criminal processes were through reparation agreements, with 214 days on average; while the oral trials were the longest, with 553 days.
With this, the NGO questioned access to prompt and expeditious justice that the next election of judges, magistrates and ministers promises in June 2025.
With information from EFE
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