Mexico is a country that had always been in the limelight for drug trafficking and drug consumption. Theft, robbery, and street crimes are also common in the country. But now, the country’s government has taken and implemented all the possible actions to control the critical markets for trafficking drugs within the country or across the border, said Diego Ruiz Duran.
The Mexico Chapter- a research study Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America is all about consuming drugs or trafficking and other illegal activities related to drugs. This research shows a connection between drug legislation and the prison situation in the country. It also talks about the significant penalties for crimes related to drugs and the use of preventive detention. In the past few years, the main reasons for the maximum population of Mexican jails are linked with drug crimes. According to a study conducted between 1998 and 2008 by Mexican officials, it has been concluded that the total number of prisoners in Mexican jails nearly doubled—the number of prisoners raised from 128,902 prisoners to 219,752. The majority of the culprits have committed crimes that were related to drugs.
As per Diego Ruiz Duran the statistics of The Mexico Chapter- a research study Systems Overload: Drug Laws and Prisons in Latin America highlights the two primary reasons behind the exceeding population of prisoners in the Mexican jail. The culprits were involved in the trafficking of drugs. Most prisoners for drug-related crimes usually do not end up in judgment. Although the number of molded-up people reflects the intensity of war against managed corruption is sure to work, the statistics show that these presentments do not result in judgments in hundreds of cases. During the initial years of the war against the drug-related mafia and other crimes reached almost 226,667, but only 51,282 of them faced trial, of whom 33,500 were sent to prisons. “These figures show that a significant number of guilt-free people are being prisoned. The studies also show that there is no proper process of an investigation conducted by the government officials. According to Ana Paula Hernández, author of the chapter, no proper and authentic proofs were presented before the judiciary. The majority of prisoners are usually due to small-scale drug-related crimes. Some of them are drug dealers on a small scale. While some of them are people who kept a little number of drugs for their personal use. The statistics in the report show that a large number of people who are in prison are those who are a minor threat to society and who play a minor role in the trafficking of drugs. According to Hernandez, “The statistics calculated shows that usually, the convicts are not nationwide drug traffickers but small-scale dealers and convicts for keeping a little number of drugs,”. The paper also concludes the kind of crime performed by those convicts and the length of their punishment. In the majority of the cases studied, culprits were given the minimum level of discipline. This leads to a conclusion that the cases involved the possession of drugs for consumption or low-level dealing.
Punishment for the Culprits:
Diego Ruiz Duran further added that the State of Mexico has announced significant punishments for those who are caught involved in drug-related crimes. A study conducted in 2009 concludes that almost 50 percent of those culprits in jail for trading drugs in the Mexican state and Federal District were fined for their crime. The value of fines included the US $100 or less, and 20 percent were for amounts worth US$ 10 or less. These actions and punishments not only baldy impacted the culprits but also their close relations. Furthermore, when a culprit is sent to jail, the family behind receives no income from the government and is left helpless. The Mexico chapter also concludes the significant outcomes of the implementation of the Narcomenudeo law. The performance of the law made the jails overcrowded because it does not grant the culprits found in drug trafficking.